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COPYRIGHT DEPOSIT. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE 
BUSINESS BUILDER 

A Textbook for High Schools, Business Colleges, 
Private Schools, Religious Schools 



W. D. McDaniels 

Manager, Fox River Valley Envelope Company, 

Formerly Principal of the Oshkosh 

Business College 

and 

LaVerne A. Wilson, B.Di., A.B. 



Ellis Publishing Company 
Battle Creek, Michigan 






COPYRIGHT, 1920 
By ELLIS PUBLISHING COMPANY 



12 1920 



©CU604053 



Preface 

"Letter Writing for the Business Builder" is the result 
of the authors' somewhat extended experience both in the 
class room and as business men. It is not intended as a 
reflection on the efficiency of the teacher of commercial 
English and commercial correspondence when we say that in 
the preparation of this text, we have drawn more largely 
from business experience than from that of the class room. 
This text embodies as far as is possible in a work on busi- 
ness correspondence, the actual business idea. One who 
has completed this book, and who understands what he has 
studied, will, we believe, be qualified to enter the field of letter 
writing in actual business. The business world must finally 
be the judge as to the ability of the letter writer. It is as- 
sumed that the pupil who studies "Letter Writing for the 
Business Builder" has a working knowledge of the elementary 
principles of English grammar and composition. 

In order to write a clear, forceful business letter, a let- 
ter that will inspire confidence and induce action, one must 
have a knowledge not only of fundamental English including 
punctuation, capitalization, paragraphing, spelling, and a 
good vocabulary, but a reasonable amount of gray matter, 
common sense, and some idea of buying and selling; in short, 
how to approach people, a knowledge of men. 

In offering this course, the authors desire to acknowledge 
their indebtedness for the ideas and suggestions they have 
received. The principal source of reference has been the 
books and magazines published by the System Company, 
Chicago, and the Business Man's Publishing Company, Detroit. 
Finding it difficult to give credit in detail for what has been 
borrowed, we make this general acknowledgment. Many 
other books and periodicals have been freely consulted. 

We are under obligation to G. W. Beckler, head of the 
English Department of the Chillicothe Business College. 
Chillicothe, Mo., and to Mrs. Kerwin, head of the Secretarial 
Department of Burdett College, Boston, Mass., for reviewing 
this work and for their valuable suggestions. 



PREFACE 

In the preparation of this volume, the aim has been to 
keep in close touch with business conditions, never to lose 
sight of the practical application. 

It has been the ambition of the authors to bring together 
material on the subject of Letter Writing, and to work it 
into a course that will, in a greater degree than any other 
book published, prove of help and inspiration to young men 
and women striving to win success in the business world. 
To accomplish so worthy an end, it has been necessary to 
call to our aid the thoughts- and expressions of many writers. 



TABLE OF CONTENTS 

Part 1__ ,.. 1 49 

Introduction 1 

Scope of a Letter - 2 

Divisions of a Letter 7 

Proper Addresses for Clergy 15 

Learning to Write... 17 

Requirements of a Letter 20 

Qualities of a Good Letter 25 

Composition of Letters 28 

Psychological Construction 34 

Preparing and Marking Manuscripts 40 

Rules for the Period 41 

Rules for the Comma..... 41 

Rules for the Colon .... 42 

Rules for the Semicolon 42 

Rules for the Hyphen 42 

Rules for the Apostrophe 43 

Rules for Quotation Marks 43 

Rules for Interrogation and Exclamation Points 43 

Rules for the Dash 43 

Rules for the Parenthesis 44 

Rules for the Capitals 44 

Rules for Arrangement 45 

Rules for the Use of Words 46 

Some "Don'ts" 47 

Part II. Exercises and Letters 49-109 

Introduction 49 

Exercise One, Punctuation and Capitalization.... 49 

Review Questions .....; 50 

Exercise Two, Punctuation and Capitalization.... 50 

Review Questions 51 

Exercise Three, Punctuation and Capitalization 51 

Review Questions 51 

Exercise Four, Addressing Envelopes 52 

Review Questions 53 

Exercise Five, Punctuation and Capitalization.. 53 

Exercise Five A, Punctuation and Capitalization 54 



TABLE OF CONTENTS— Continued 

Exercise Five B, Punctuation and Capitalization 55 

Review Questions 56 

Kinds of Letters 57 

Letters of Friendship 57 

Exercise Six, A Friendship Letter 58 

Social Letters 59 

Exercise Seven, Birthday Invitations 60 

Exercise Seven A, Accepting an Invitation 60 

Exercise Seven B, Declining an Invitation 61 

Letters of Introduction 61 

Exercise Eight, A Letter of Introduction. 61 

Letters of Congratulation 62 

Exercise Nine, A Letter of Congratulation... 62 

Letters of Condolence 62 

Exercise Ten, A Letter of Condolence 64 

Postal Cards and Post Cards 64 

Exercise Eleven, Writing a Postal Card 64 

Telegrams 64 

Exercise Twelve, Writing a Telegram 65 

Cablegrams 67 

Exercise Thirteen, Writing a Cablegram 68 

Letters of Inquiry 68 

Exercise Fourteen, A Letter of Inquiry 68 

Letters of Notification.... 69 

Exercise Fifteen, A Letter of Notification 69 

Letters Enclosing Remittance ;... 69 

Exercise Sixteen, A Letter Enclosing a Remit- 
tance. 71 

Letters of Acknowledgment 71 

Exercise Seventeen, A Letter of Acknowledg- 
ment - 72 

Letters Making Announcements 72 

Exercise Eighteen, A Letter of Announcement.. 73 

Letters With Enclosures .— 73 

Exercise Nineteen, A Letter With Enclosure...... 73 

Legal Letters 74 

Exercise Twenty, A Legal Letter... 74 



TABLE OF CONTENTS— Continued 

Official Letters 75 

Exercise Twenty-one, An Official Letter 75 

Public Letters - 75 

Exercise Twenty-two, A Public Letter '. 76 

Promotion Letters... 76 

Exercise Twenty-three, A Promotion Letter 76 

Letters Asking Favors 78 

Exercise Twenty-four, A Letter Asking a Favor 78 

Letters of Recommendation 78 

Exercise Twenty-five, A Letter of Recommenda- 
tion 79 

Letters of Application 79W^ 

Exercise Twenty-six, A Letter of Application.... 84 

Circular Letters 85 

Exercise Twenty-seven, Preparation of Copy for 

a Circular Letter 85 

Follow-up Letters 86 

Exercise Twenty-eight, Writing Follow-up Let- 
ters 91 

Letters Ordering Goods 92 

Exercise Twenty-nine, A Letter Ordering Goods.. 92 

Letters Making Complaints 93 

Exercise Thirty, A Letter Making Complaint 93 

Letters Selling Goods 93 

Exercise Thirty-one, Writing Sales Letters.. 98 

Exercise Thirty-one A, A Follow-up Sales Letter 99 

Exercise Thirty-one B, Another Sales Letter 99 

Letters Collecting Money 100 

Exercise Thirty-two, A Collection Letter 103 

Exercise Thirty-two A, Writing a Third Collec- 
tion Letter 104 

Letters Adjusting Complaints 104 

Exercise Thirty-three, A Letter Adjusting a 

Complaint 104 

Advertising Letters 105 

Exercise Thirty-four, An Advertising Letter 106 



TABLE OF CONTENTS— Continued 

Educational Letters . . 106 

Exercise Thirty-five, Writing an Educational 

Letter..... 107 

Exercise Thirty-five A, A Second Educational 

Letter .- 108 

Exercise Thirty-five B, A Third Educational 

Letter 108 

Exercise Thirty-five C, A Fourth Educational 

Letter 108 

Exercise Thirty-five D, A Sales Letter 108 

Exercise Thirty-five E, A "Ginger-up" Letter...... 108 

Part III, An Outline of Letter Writing for the Business 

Builder - ill 

Appendix 114 

Proof-Reading-- 114 

Abbreviations 116 



Parti 



Letter Writing for the Business 
Builder 



Introduction 

Letter Writing for the Business Builder is an attempt to 
solve for beginners and students that important and perplex- 
ing problem: 

"How to put Brains Into an Envelope." 

It is an effort to develop the student in the art of hand- 
ling men by mail. Its purpose is to show him how to get 
others' to see as he sees — to think as he thinks — to act as he 
would have them act. It teaches him how to use "Business 
English" — the kind of language that touches the "business 
heart" of a customer, and gets him to part willingly with his 
money. 

The commercial idea is the prevailing note in this course; 
yet strong emphasis is laid upon the other phases of the sub- 
ject. 

(1) 



2 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

Letter Writing in a broad and comprehensive sense is 
both an art and a science. It is art to express thought upon 
paper; but it requires science to explain the mental processes 
in order that a letter may be shaped so as to force action on 
the part of the reader. 

Business letters that fail to secure action are wasted 
labor, stationery, and postage. This fact has created among 
business firms a great demand for men and women who can 
write "letters that pull" — "letters that win." 

To those who desire to put greater efficiency and pulling 
power into their letters, this course is offered. 

The Scope of a Letter 

The letter touches all the relations of mankind in society, 
government, and business. The great postal system of the 
world enables one to extend the golden chain of friendship 
across the continent, over seas, and into lands remote. By 
means of it, the letter can be made to sell goods, handle men, 
collect money, adjust complaints, secure positions, develop 
prestige, and build business. 

The letter has become the universal implement of trade, 
and is the servant of every business, regardless of its size or 
character. It matters not who may command its use — 
whenever men wish to communicate with each other, the 
letter is found to be the cheapest and most efficient medium. 

In selling goods, the letter is the greatest salesman known 
to modern business. It will go thousands of miles to create 
business and bring back orders. Even the most distant 
post of civilization is not beyond its reach. 

It will enable the man who retails to talk his goods to every 
family in his town, or it will go farther and build a counter 
across the continent for him. A letter will permit a manu- 
facturer or wholesaler to find prospects and win customers 
in remote towns that salesmen could not profitably reach. 

In the letter, a sales manager finds the means of extending 
his own enthusiasm to his men even in the farthest limits of 
his territory. As a collector of money, the letter is bringing 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 5 

in ten dollars to the personal collector's one. Without the 
collection letter, the whole credit system would be toppling 
to its fall. 

A young person standing at the threshold of a business 
career will find a well-written letter of application the most 
reliable key to unlock the door that leads to success. 

A diplomatic letter at the first intimation of dissatisfac- 
tion will soothe ruffled feelings, wipe out imagined grievances, 
adjust complaints, and lay a foundation for even firmer busi- 
ness relations in the future. 

If clearly written, the letter will not misrepresent your 
proposition, nor make verbal promises that cannot be fulfilled. 
It will say no more and no less than you want said, and will 
say it with the same amount of enthusiasm and freshness that 
it possessed when it left your desk. 

It will not be tired and sleepy because it had to catch the 
midnight train; it will not be out of sorts because at breakfast 
the coffee was poor or the potatoes cold; it will not be dis- 
couraged because competition is sharp and business is slow; 
in fact, it is immune from all the ills and weaknesses of the flesh, 
and will deliver your message faithfully, promptly, and loyally. 

It does not have to cool its heels in the outer office, nor 
conjure methods to reach the chief within; for the courtesy of 
the mail lays it upon his desk. Indeed, the letter becomes the 
perfect servant of the user, and possesses a latent power that 
few men realize — a power that will build business and develop 
prestige. 

Materials for Letter Writing 

With a subject of such importance, it can be readily seen 
that the materials used are important. The architect of a 
letter must be as wise as the architect of a building, and must 
see to it that he has the necessary material to make his struc- 
ture attractive. Man in his early development was content 
to live in a thatched hut or log cabin, but in these modern 
times such an abode will not satisfy. Neither will his grand- 
father's style of Letter Writing prove any more acceptable. 



4 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

Progress is making tremendous strides in every field of 
human endeavor, and nowhere is the advance more marked 
than in business correspondence. Styles that a few years ago 
would have been considered improper are now being used with 
the very best effect. Earlier books on Letter Writing warned 
young people against using tinted paper and colored inks; 
yet today business men are using letterheads of blue, green, 
and brown tints, with typewriter ribbons colored to match, 
and are securing greater results than they ever did when they 
used pure white paper and black typewriter ribbons. How- 
ever, this change has been brought about by the typewriter 
and would only be tolerated where the typewriter is used. 
Should a young person write a letter of application with 
purple ink on colored paper, it would in the majority of cases 
be consigned to the waste basket. 

If you wish to w r rite and mail one letter a day, the materials 
you will need are paper, envelopes, pens, ink, and postage 
stamps. If you wish to write fifty or one hundred letters 
a day, you will need a typewriter. If, however, you have 
come to recognize the great business-building power of the 
letter, and decide to write ten or twenty thousand letters a 
day, you will need duplicating and addressing machines. 
In so large a correspondence, you will naturally have many 
letters of importance and will desire to keep copies of them. 
This will require a letter-press and a copy-book, or the use of 
carbon paper and a filing cabinet. The accumulation of these 
materials will equip you for the business of Letter Writing. 

There are many duplicating and addressing machines in 
general use. There are several typewriters that are con- 
sidered standard machines. Where letter-press copies are 
desired and the number is large, a copier of the roller-press 
style is preferable; however, most business firms have done 
away with copying letters altogether and use carbon copies 
instead. A great variety of filing cabinets can be found 
advertised in any office appliance magazine in case you wish 
to keep a carbon copy record of your letters. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 5 

In the gathering of your materials, let your actions be 
governed by one motto: "Quality." High-grade stationery 
strengthens and gives dignity to whatever thoughts you have 
expressed. Cheap, poor-grade stationery marks an indif- 
ferent individual or an inferior business house. It develops 
a mental picture in the mind of the recipient that proves 
detrimental to all success-winning, profit-making endeavors. 
It has often been truly said that the best is none too good, 
and this is especially applicable in your case as you are going 
to make the letter accomplish more in the future than it ever 
has in the past. 

For convenience in handling the letter, certain standard 
sizes of paper and envelopes have been adopted. Business 
letters are usually written on sheets of paper 8Kxll inches 
or 8x10 inches. One of the later styles that is becoming 
largely used is 7^x1 finches. Half sheets, 5 >^x8 finches, 
are often used for short letters. 

Business envelopes are made in six different sizes and are 
numbered as follows: 

No. 6 is 3Hx6 inches. 
No. 6^< is 3 S/£x6 % inches. 
No. 7K is 3>£x7K inches. 
No. 9 is Sy 8 x8ys inches. 
No. 10 is 4yx9}4 inches. 
No. 11 is 4^xl0f£ inches. 

For business correspondence, No. 6^ is more largely 
used than any of the others. No. 6 has its largest use as an 
enclosure in No. 6)^. 

To make answering easy, many firms enclose a self-ad- 
dressed envelope. When especially desiring a reply, they 
even stamp it. The size of No. 6 makes it convenient for 
this purpose, as the use of any of the others would require 
folding. Folding an envelope is very objectionable, and 
should never be done except in case of absolute necessity. 
When tinted letterheads are used, they should be enclosed 
in envelopes of the same tint. 



6 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

Below are illustrations of a business envelope and of an 
envelope of proper size for an enclosure. 



Return in five days to 
ELLIS PUBLISHING COMPANY 
publishers and printers 
Battle Creek, Mich. 



ELLIS PUBLISHING COMPANY 
BATTLE CREEK 

MICHIGAN 



The envelope is used chiefly as a cover and a protection 
for the letter. It insures privacy, and provides a space for 
the address of the recipient. A business envelope should also 
have a return card — the name and address of the sender in 
the upper left-hand corner. This enables the return of the 
letter to the writer without its first going to the dead letter 
office. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 7 

The envelope is to guide and introduce the letter, and its 
appropriateness is a matter worthy of consideration. Much 
of the value of a letter — much of its reception — depends 
upon the character and standing shown in the envelope. A 
sealed envelope of poor quality and appearance impresses the 
receiver unfavorably, even if its contents prove important; 
but a cheap, sleazy, draggled envelope under a one-cent 
stamp is, indeed, a heavy burden to overcome. Cheap 
paper and unattractive printing are to be avoided just as 
carefully as you would avoid presenting yourself on a busi- 
ness mission clad in dirty and unattractive clothing. 

When letters are pen written, the best grade of black ink 
should be used. The pen should have a medium coarse point 
so the lines will be strong and clear. The paper should have 
a smooth surface and should preferably be pure white. Sta- 
tionery for social and friendship letters is subject to changes 
of fashion, and the sizes vary at different times. By consult- 
ing any up-to-date printer or stationer, you can become in- 
formed as to the latest prevailing mode. 

Divisions of a Letter 

Has it ever impressed you that the division of a letter is 
an important matter? If you have never thought about this, 
observe the following letter which is given in solid form: 



742 East Division Street., Milwaukee, Wis., Nov. 3, 19. . ♦ 
Mr. Henry E. Mason, St. Paul, Minn. Dear Sir: Your problem is 
"Who should buy? Who will buy? Who can buy?" The mere signing 
of the enclosed postal card may put you in the way of "prospects" 
you had not chanced to think of before. We have many mailing lists. 
How would you like to address personally 600 Railroad Purchasing 
Agents—to be able to call each by name? Couldn't you sell them? 
This list, neatly typewritten and arranged alphabetically according 
to Railroad names, would cose you $5. Sign the card or write today — 
now. Very truly yours, Mailing List Company, By A. E. Davis, 
President. Reference: First National Bank 



Can you tell at a glance the date of this letter? Can you 
tell instantly the address of the man to whom this letter was 
sent? Can you tell with certainty at first sight just who is 
sending out this letter? Now, read this letter with all its 
divisions arranged in proper style. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 



742 East Division Street, 

Milwaukee, Wis., Nov. 3, 19. . 
Mr. Henry E. Mason, 
St. Paul, Minn. 
Dear Sir: 

Your problem is: 

"Who should buy?" 
"Who will buy?'' 
"Who can buy?" 

The mere signing of the enclosed postal card may put you in the 
way of ' prospects" you had not chanced to think of before. We have 
many mailing lists. 

How would you like to address personally 600 Railroad Purchase 
ing Agents — to be able to call each by name? Couldn't you sell them? 
This list, neatly typewritten ana arranged alphabetically according to 
Railroad names, would cost you $5. 

Sign the card or write today — now. 

Very truly yours, 



Reference 
First National 
Bank. 



Mailing List Company, 
By A. E. Davis, 

President. 



When we examine this arrangement, we find that the letter 
is separated into the following divisions: 

1. Heading — Number and Street, City, State, and Date. 

2. Address — Name of Recipient, City, and State. 

3. Salutation — The Greeting. 

4. The Body — Paragraphs. 

5. Complimentary Close — Words of Courtesy. 

6. Signature — Name of Writer. 

7. Title— Office of Writer. 

v.. 8. Postscript — Additional Material. 

9. The remaining point needed to fit this letter for the 
mail is the Superscription — the Address of the Recipient 
on the envelope. 

Now, see how readily all the points of information outside 
the body of the letter can be gained with the slightest trouble. 
Even in the body of the letter, see how the paragraphs bring 
out the different ideas to special advantage. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 



528-1 6th Street, 
Oakland, Cal., 
April 13, 19... 

Mr. B. A. Student, 
1772-2lst Ave., 
Oakland, Cal. 

Dear Sir: 

Business letters should contain the substance of what one would 
say were he face to face with the person written to. They should be 
clear, concise and explicit. Great care should be taken as to arrange- 
ment, punctuation, capitalization, spelling and wording. 

The writer's address in full and date should be written on the 
right-hand side of the page, commencing a little at the right of the 
middle of the sheet, as in this letter. A comma should follow each 
item, and a period should follow the year. 

Leaving a suitable margin on the left-hand|side, place the name 
of the person or persons addressed two or three spaces below the head- 
ing; and the address below the name as illustrated above. Follow 
each item by a comma and place a period at the end. 

The formal address or salutation should be either,"DearSir:", 
"Dear Madam:", or "Gentlemen:". It should be two spaces below 
the address, starting at the margin and should be followed by a colon 
Begin the body of the letter two spaces below the salutation, and start 
directly underneath the colon. 

Make a new paragraph for every distinct thing you wish to im- 
press upon the reader. Capitalize only the first word of the compli- 
mentary closing. The words of closing should be followed by a comma, 
and always written on a line by themselves, starting near the middle 
of the page. 

I hope you will find this explanation sufficiently clear and 
comprehensive. 

Yours sincerely, 

G. W. Collins. 



10 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 



Arranging the Parts of a Letter 

The following illustrations indicate the various arrange- 
ments that may be used: 





—CD- 




Madison, Kans., Aug. 1, 19... 


Mr. C. W. Robbins, 




Sedalia, Mo. 




Dear Sir: 






Yours truly, 




H. C. Murphy. 




— (2) — 




789 Jackson St., 




Oshkosh, Wis , Sept. 9, 19. .. 


Mrs. W. A. Manson, 




Wausau, Wis. 




Dear Madam; 






Very truly yours, 




Miss Ella Wilson. 




— (3)— 




Lock Box 476, 




Jonesburg, Mo., Oct. 4, 19. .. 


Messrs. Cook & Brown, 




St. Louis, Mo. 




Gentlemen: 






Yours very truly, 




E. W. Swank. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 



11 





— (4) — 




609 Majestic Bldg., 




Milwaukee, Wis., 1 >v. 2, 19. .. 


Cluley, Paquin & Co., 




1513 Steger Bldg., 


. 


Chicago, 111. 




Dear Sirs: 






Yours respectfully, 




Andreas Bothe. 




— (5) — 




R. F. D. No. 6, Box 59, 




Virgil, Kans., Dec. 5, 19. .. 


Mr. Fred Focht, 




Eureka, Kans. 




Dear Friend : 






Sincerely yours, 




Ira C. Walker. 




— (6) — 




Wabeno, Forrest Co., Wis., 




Sept. 21, 19... 


Dr. John Hudson, 




Auditorium Bldg., 




St. Paul, Minn. 




My Dear Doctor: 






Fraternally yours, 




James H. Jackson. 



12 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINE SSBUILDER 





-(7)— 




Los Angeles, Cal., Mar. 8. 19. .. 


Miss Anna Davis, 




San Diego, Cal. 




Dear Miss Davis: 






Yours truly. 




Jones, Brown & Co., 




Per Jones. 




— (8)— 




Norristown, Pa., Aug. 19, 19... 


Mr. C. C. Konrad, Cashier, 




First National Bank. 




Mason City, Iowa 




My dear Sir: 






Cordially yours, 




D. L. Baker, 




Sec. Pheonix Iron Works. 




— (9) — 




Boise, Idaho, July 4, 19. .. 


Mayor James Grant, 




Butte, Montana. 


* 


Dear Sir: 






Respectfully yours, 




Louis R. Dixon, | 




Mgr. Scenic Railway Co. 




-(10)— 




Marion, Ind., June 30, 19. .. 


Curtis, Welch & Co., 




487 Euclid Avenue, 




Cleveland, Ohio. 




Gentlemen: 




— Attention of Mr. Wade — 




Very truly yours, 




Foster Bros. & Co., 




By. A. J. D. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 13 

In illustration No. 1, we have only the location and date 
for a heading. This should always be written on the first 
line, beginning in the middle or a little to the right of the 
middle of the sheet. The address should be written three 
double spaces below if a plain sheet is used. If a printed 
letter head is used more space may be necessary in order to 
center the letter with the name of the recipient about one 
inch from the edge of the page. This will provide ample 
margin so the paper can be held and the thumb not cover 
any of the writing. Start the name of the city about half 
an inch to the right of and a double space below the name of 
the recipient. 

The salutation should begin at the margin, a double space 
below the name of the city. The complimentary close is 
placed a double space below the last line of the letter. It 
should begin at the same point on the scale as the date line. 
The signature should be written on the next line, a little to 
the right of the complimentary close. 

Now note very closely the punctuation. It is of the great- 
est importance. There must be no slackness here. Con- 
venience in gaining from letters all desired information in 
the shortest possible time, demands uniformity in arrange- 
ment and punctuation. Where only a few letters are received, 
it might not be such a vital matter; but in offices where the 
mail is heavy and the letters come in by hundreds, the least 
tendency to depart from a standard style becomes a burden. 

In illustration No. 2, the number and street are given. 
This should be placed on the first line, and the location and 
date on the second line in the manner indicated. The same 
style is observed when lock box, building, or rural route is 
used. In cases of a small town, the county is placed on the 
first line between the city and state, while the date is placed 
on the second line. 

The proper business salutation for a man is Dear Sir, or 
My dear Sir. For company or firm names, it is Gentlemen, 
or Dear Sirs. For a married woman — Dear Madam. For 
an unmarried woman, it is better to use Dear Miss (whatever 



14 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

her name is), as not many young women are pleased with 
Dear Madam. It is also proper to use this style for a man 
or a married woman; as, Dear Mr. Brown, or Dear Mrs. Smith. 
When the letter is a friendly letter and the name appears in 
the salutation as Dear Miss Brown, the address with the 
name in full should be written in the lower left hand corner 
of the sheet. 

The most generally used complimentary close, or words of 
courtesy, is "Yours truly." However, the majority of the more 
up-to-date business houses are using "Yours very truly," or 
"Very truly yours," "Yours respectfully," or "Respectfully 
yours," is used to superiors or those in authority. The other 
styles are used when the relations become more friendly and 
intimate. 

The signature is usually the last thing in a letter, but it 
is not by any means the least. It is simply unbelievable to a 
person who has not an opportunity to observe, the vast 
number of unsigned letters that is constantly going through 
the mail. It is told a large mail order house has erected a 
handsome building with unclaimed money from unsigned 
letters. This certainly speaks volumes for the carelessness 
of people in writing letters. Not only does the trouble arise 
from omission, but illegibility is almost as bad. Great 
pains should be taken with the signature. The title, or 
office of the writer, should be given. In the signature of a 
married women, the word (Mrs.) in parenthesis should be 
placed before the name. 

Example No. 10 illustrates the style where it is desired 
that a certain officer of the firm shall give the letter special 
attention. Notice, also, that when a firm name is signed by 
some one else, the initials of the individual should be placed 
below. 

A careful study of the headings and closings of these ten 
forms will be sufficient to guide the student in the majority 
of cases. However, additional addresses and abbreviations 
are given on following page to indicate official and profes- 
sional styles: 



LETTER WHITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 



15 



1. 


To the President, 6. To His Excellency, Albert E. Sleeper, 
Executive Mansion, Governor of Michigan, 
Washington, D. C. Lansing, Mich. 
Sir: Sir: 


2. 


Col. William J. Bryan, 
Editor Commoner, 

Lincoln, Neb. 


7. 


Prof. A. V. Ludewig, 

Central Business College, 
Sedalia, Mo. 
My dear Sir: 


3. 


Pros. Silas Evans, 

Ripon College, 

Ripon, Wis. 
Dear Sir: 


8. 


Rev. A. M. Ayers, 

Pastor Grace Church, 
Winchester, 111. 
Dear Friend and Brother: 


4. 


Miss Etta C. Long, A. M., 9. 
Com. Dept. High School, 
Lexington Ky. 
Dear Miss Long: 


Hon. J. W. Kern, 

Senate Chamber ; 

Washington, D. C 
Sir: 


5. 


Hon. Michael Reilly, M. C, 10 
House of Representatives, 
Washington, D. C. 
Sir: 


. Sister A. Constance, 

Holy Cross College, 

Little Rock, Ark. 
Dear Sister: 



Titles which may be used to follow names in addresses: 



LL. D. — Doctor of Laws. 
LL. B. — Bachelor of Laws. 
M. A. — Master of Arts. 
M. S. — Master of Science. 
B. S. — Bachelor of Science. 
B. A. — Bachelor of Arts. 
D. D. S.— Doctor of Dental 

Surgery. 
D. D. — Doctor of Divinity. 



C. E. — Civil Engineer. 

M. C. — Member of Congress. 
Dist. Atty. — District 

Attorney. 

D. Litt. — Doctor of 

Literature. 
D. V. S. — Veterinary 

Surgeon. 
M. D. — Doctor of Medicine. 



LL. M. — Master of Laws. 
Proper addresses for Clergy — Roman Catholic: 

A Cardinal Bishop : To His Eminence, Cardinal Gibbons, 
The Cathedral, 408 N. Charles St., Baltimore, Md., Most 
Eminent and Reverend Sir: 



16 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 



An Archbishop: Most Reverend James Edward Quigley, 
Archbishop of Chicago, Chicago, Illinois, Most Reverend Sir: 

A Bishop: Right Reverend Edward O'Dee, Seattle, Wash- 
ington, Right Reverend Sir: 

A Female Superior or Order: Reverend Mother Gervase, 
1708 Summer St., Philadelphia, Pa., Reverend Madam: or 
Reverend Mother. 

A Female Member of a Religious Order: Sister M. Jeanette, 
Dominican Convent, Jersey City, N. J., Reverend Sister, or 
Dear Sister. 

Priest: Reverend G. W. Corrigan, M. R., St. Joseph's 
Church, Newark, N. J., Reverend Sir: 

The following forms illustrate the proper arrangement of 
the superscription, or address of the recipient on the envelope: 



RETURN IN 5 DAYS TO 

A. GOOD STUDENT 
ANYWHERE. U. S. A. 

Mr. 

569 Eighth Street. 


Win. S. Morrison. 
Cincinnati. 
Ohio. 






STAMP 









RETURN IN 5 DAYS TO 

A. GOOD STUDENT 
ANYWHERE. U. S.A 

Mr. 


Wm. S. Morrison, 
569 Eighth Street. 

Cincinnati. Ohio. 






6TAMP 









LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 17 

* 

Every business envelope should have the address of the 
writer in the upper left-hand corner so the letter may be re- 
turned in case the recipient cannot be found. 

The superscription should always be arranged in three 
lines. 

When a number and street is given, it may be placed in 
the lower left-hand corner as in No. 1, or it may be placed 
under the recipient's name as the second line, and the city 
and state forming the third line as in No. 2. 

The divided address as shown in No. 1 is preferable to 
No. 2, as the mail clerk on the train is interested only in the 
city and state, while the postman in the city is interested 
only in the number and street. The separation enables each 
man to see more readily the part that interests him. How- 
ever, No. 2 is a little easier for the stenographer to address 
but as it is more important that your letter should be delivered 
promptly and correctly, No. 1 should be used. The same 
style should be used when addressing an envelope to a person 
who lives on a rural route. 

In nineteen hund.ed and twelve, (the last statistics avail- 
able) the post office department of our government handled 
nearly ten billion letters. Think of it — ten thousand million! 
Of this number more than five million envelopes were im- 
properly and incorrectly addressed. Make an especial effort 
that no envelope of yours ever gets into this money-losing 
class. 

Learning to Write 

In learning to write, in the broadest sense of the word, 
the student passes through five stages: 

1. The Penmanship Stage. 

2. The Spelling Stage. 

3. The Grammar Stage. 

4. The Rhetoric Stage. 

5. The Logic Stage. 

Whenever you see a letter composed of illegible scrawls; 
misspelled words; verbs not agreeing with their subjects; 



18 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

sentences improperly grouped into paragraphs; and ideas 
upon unrelated topics, you may know that the writer was 
not a graduate of one grade before he passed into another. 
In fact, it is quite evident that he must have skipped the first 
four grades and landed in the fifth without preparation or 
development. There can be only one result in reversing the 
natural order of things, and that is failure. 

In the Penmanship stage, the student first becomes con- 
scious of form, movement, and position. He learns that 
there are certain standard forms which are universally re- 
cognized. In business, the forms are plain, unshaded, and 
free from superfluous strokes. When he attempts to execute 
these forms, he finds that an erect, comfortable position, 
and a free, forceful, muscular movement greatly aid in se- 
curing ease and speed. Unless an author has ease and speed 
in penmanship, he will find it difficult to express his ideas 
in the most effective style. Good penmanship is the result 
of proper conception of form, movement, and position, with 
a large amount of systematic practice and keen observation. 
Failure to develop ease, speed, and legibility in penmanship, 
is to slip and stumble at the very beginning of the race. 

Below is a sample of a style of muscular movement busi- 
ness writing that will add effectiveness to a business letter. — 
From the Bayley-Greenwood System of Modern Business 
Writing: 




LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 19 

Whenever the student becomes conscious of the relation 
of letters in a word, he enters the Spelling Stage. What an 
unfortunate handicap it is when he fails to get the proper 
relation. Nothing renders an article so unfit to be read as 
absurd combinations of letters in the spelling of words. Happy 
indeed, is he who graduates from this grade with honors. Poor 
spelling can be overcome only by the most diligent use of a 
good spelling book and a constant reference to the dictionary. 
The student will discover that he misses only certain words. 
In writing a letter, it would, indeed, be a very poor student 
who did not get more than ninety per cent of his words 
spelled correctly. So if the student would eradicate his 
faults, let him make a list of his errors and keep them for 
constant study and practice. No one can be fluent in the 
writing of his thoughts if he finds trouble in the spelling of 
words. 

The Grammar Stage is reached when the student begins 
to realize that words have proper places and uses in sentences. 
How ridiculous and ignorant we appear when we fail to use 
the correct form and combination of words. Grammar has 
been defined as the science which treats of the use and con- 
struction of words in sentences. How important then is 
its study. Yet from altogether too many we may hear the 
expression, "I ain't got no use for grammar" '. To such a 
one authorship is an impossibility. No letter, message, or 
article will ever come from his pen that will be an inspira- 
tion and a blessing. 

When the student realizes that sentences may be polished 
until they shine, that clearness, force and beauty aid in 
effectiveness, he has reached the Rhetoric Stage. 

Here, he begins to build his sentences into paragraphs. 
He finds that varied style and figures of speech clothe his 
thoughts with life and power. The student that passes only 
three stages and fails to enter the fourth, can have only dead 
expression at his command. In the Rhetoric Stage, he 
discovers that language can be made striking and forceful. 



20 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

The individual who is in the Grammar Stage, and who has 
yet no realization of what Rhetoric means, can only talk 
and write in a dull and lifeless style. There can be no elo- 
quence, no grandeur of expression until an individual has 
been filled with the consciousness of Rhetoric. 

The Stage of Logic has been reached when the student 
learns that ideas have a relation one to another. He dis- 
covers that some are major and some are minor; that some 
are foundation stones, while others form the very pinnacle 
of thought. He begins to realize the power of reason, the 
force of a climax, the value of points well made. It matters 
not how beautiful an individual may be; if bereft of reason, 
he can be only an object of pity and sympathy — never of 
admiration and respect. It matters not how glowing the 
phrases, how striking the sentences, they will never com- 
mand confidence and respect unless the power of logic per- 
vades the discourse. Logic may, indeed, be called the "crown- 
ing glory" of language. 

Requirements of a Letter 

Every good letter must possess at least the first seven of 
the following nine requirements: 

1. Effective English. 6. Arrangement. 

2. Correct Spelling. 7. Folding. 

3. Legible Penmanship. 8. Display. 

4. Punctuation. 9. Letterhead. 

5. Capitalization. 

Letters are made effective by the use of effective English, 
Effective English is "business" English. It is the kind that 
touches the business heart of a customer — his pocket book. 
If your English does not cause a man to go down into his 
pocket and dig up his money then it is not "business" English, 
whatever else may be said about it. 

Business English is distinguished from formal, or literary, 
English by its greater efficiency, measured in terms of dollars 
and cents. It is English that conveys a message and pro- 
duces a result that is directly, or indirectly, represented by 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 21 

the dollar sign. Its excellence does not depend so much 
upon the degree in which it expresses the writer as upon the 
degree in which it impresses the reader. 

When a man reads for amusement or instruction, ne 
is willing to adjust himself to the writer, and strain his mind 
to catch the message. He will even consent to use glossary 
and marginal notes in order to enjoy Shakespeare and 
Chaucer. But he is not going to strain his mind to catch 
the message of a man who wants to get his money. 

Business Letter Writing is not a study of forms and usages. 
It is rather a study of human nature, and how to use words 
so as to make people do things. No longer will the staid, 
formal style answer as in the years gone by. If you would 
move people, you must write to them as you would talk. 
You must get down to the "you-and-me" style if you make 
people "sit up and take notice." 

To do this you must eliminate all verbosity and circum- 
locution. Talk right to the point. Don't use a single un- 
necessary word. Select short, Anglo-Saxon words instead 
of long, classical ones. Use sentences of eight to ten words. 
Avoid sentences of thirty or forty words. The following is 
a splendid illustration of short words and effective language. 

"// we could get you to try on a pair of our shoes, we 
wouldn't have to talk to you any more. 

"Here's a shoe that your feet want. There is no rubber 
shoe dis-comfort — there can be no perspiring and chafing of 
the feet; it is easy to wear because it is light — and it never 
makes a sore joint. 

"You get complete protection where you want it — over 
the sole and the seam between sole and rubber. No use- 
less rubber to carry and to make an air tight case for your 
feet to perspire in. 

"Stick to the shoe? Of course, more tightly than any 
old-style rubber ever made. 

"Now, look at the "fit of it — that means you have a stylish 
shoe, something no one ever claimed for the old rubber. 



22 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

"They are made for men and women. 

"Every good shoeman carries them. If you cannot get a 
pair, write us and we will send you our booklet, 'Good News 
for Your Feet. } " 

Just notice what a large number of one-sylable words there 
are in this letter. Now, compare the simple, direct style of 
this "writing-as-you-talk ,, letter with the pomposity of the 
following: "A stupendous opportunity will be accorded 
at this unparalleled and colossal exposition to acquire rate 
and unsurpassable bargains.'* You wouldn't talk to anyone 
like this, would you? Why then strive to use high-sounding 
words in your letters? Effective English and Success mean 
the same thing in Letter Writing. 

The best composed letter in the world would be rendered 
valueless by incorrect spelling and illegible penmanship. 
Almost the same result is accomplished on the typewriter by 
over-struck letters and erasures. To the ordinary individ- 
ual, nothing indicates the writer's lack of education so 
much as a misspelled word. It will positively kill all hope of 
success in a letter of application. It is just about as fatal in 
any other kind of letter. Especially is it necessary to see 
that the names of persons are properly spelled. Many per- 
sons are actually offended on seeing their names misspelled. 
As a business builder you cannot afford to indulge in this 
business-killing practice. 

Proper punctuation and capitalization also call for close 
attention. It is claimed that more stenographers lose their 
positions because of their inability to spell and punctuate 
than from all other causes. 

Arrangement demands the placing of each part of the 
letter in its proper place; giving ample room for a margin 
both on the left and the right. The left-hand margin should 
be about one inch wide and the right-hand margin should 
be at least a half-inch wide. The right-hand margin should 
be kept as even as possible. An irregular, sawedge makes 
the letter unattractive. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 23 

There are two styles used in folding letters — the bi-fold 
and the tri-fold. The method used depends upon the en- 
velope. If you have a No. 7*^, No. 9, or No. 10 envelope, you 
should use the bi-fold, which consists in folding from the 
bottom up and the top down. When folded, the creases 
should divide the letter into three equal parts. The tri-fold 
is needed when No. 6 or No. 6 2^ is used. In making the 
tri-fold, the letter is folded from the bottom up to the top. 
With the letter right side up before you, fold from the bottom 
so that the lower edge of the letter will be about one-eighth of 
an inch below the upper edge. The sides should be together. 
Then fold the right side over toward the left, making the fold 
less than one-third the distance across the letter. Then fold 
the left side over toward the right in like manner. Do not 
turn the letter when folding. Uniformity in folding aids 
greatly in handling a large number of letters. The letter 
is now ready to be placed in the envelope. Hold the envelope 
in the left hand with the stamp end up. The letter should 
be in the right hand with the open end up and the smooth 
side of the letter toward the face of the envelope if it has 
been folded properly. In this position both envelope and 
letter are ready for insertion. 

In typewriting, a letter may be made more effective by 
a display of certain important features. This may be done 
by placing the word, or words, in CAPITALS; by the use of 
the underscore; or by using a bi-chrome ribbon. When 
several items are given, they can be read to better advantage 
if they are tabulated; that is, arranged in columns. This 
is illustrated in th« arrangement of the subjects at the begin- 
ning of this article. In ordering goods, the items should 
always be tabulated. 

The letterhead is a very important part of a business 
letter. You can largely determine the character of a business 
firm by the letterhead. A gaudy, overcrowded, cheaply- 
printed letterhead indicates a careless, indifferent, unreliable 
firm; while a neat, attractive, well-printed letterhead in- 
dicates a firm with desirable characteristics. A careful 



24 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 



Illustrative Letterheads 






Wfa 



TheJiteraryDigest 



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eiu'P 


•u [Initial 1m 


urarttT Uumpaiitt n 


Anmira 






* 


" " *"«»"•*•■'- 










#m£d)* 












STK 


■\T5\8 


-DTOCCTSA. COMPANY 




© 


-r 


HAKWAiyrvftKK» or motor ca»w 

OHC.OI'fcE rAr.LS».MASS,f.!lA. 


J==L 










.^ y 



















LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 25 

study and comparison of the various letterheads that come 
under your notice will prove of great value. 

Qualities of a Good Letter 

The desirable qualities for every effective letter are : brevity, 
clearness, unity, exactness, personality, and courtesy. 

The chief consideration in brevity is that you should de- 
sire QUALITY rather than QUANTITY. It means that you 
should avoid unnecessary words; long, rambling sentences; 
and unrelated subjects. It consists in talking right to the 
point. 

Of course, it is not desirable to become so short and abrupt 
in writing your letter that it will seem discourteous. Abrupt- 
ness is as serious a defect in a letter as long, complex-com- 
pound sentences. Proper attention to the opening and clos- 
ing sentences will redeem even the briefest letter from con- 
veying an impression of curtness. 

An effective letter will be sufficiently comprehensive to 
include all necessary information, and yet so brief as to ex- 
clude everything not directly relating to the subject of the 
letter. Say just enough — no more and no less. 

Clearness in writing demands clearness in thinking. You 
cannot write clearly upon a subject unless you have given it 
thoughtful consideration. Your designing room in the 
Department of Imagination must be free from obstruction 
and filled with the bright sunshine of concepts that are 
the results of positive knowledge. It is impossible to write 
concerning things about which you know little or nothing. 

Your first duty is to get complete information regarding 
your subject. Second, sketch out in rough draft the ideas 
you wish to present. Third, take this undeveloped material 
through a polishing process. Work out the details. Fill in a 
sentence here; omit a word there; transpose a clause; change a 
modifier; and so on until you have a finished product — clear 
and comprehensive, which will stand out like an architect's 
drawing or a painter's design. 



26 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

Ever keep in mind the effect and influence of your words 
on the reader. Remember, what may seem perfectly clear to 
you on account of your familiarity with the subject, is not 
necessarily clear to others. Examine your words carefully to 
see whether they may be given another meaning than the one 
you intend. This will often save much trouble and 
annoyance. 

Unity means one thing at a time, and only one subject 
or proposition to a letter. If you have more than one sub- 
ject or more than one proposition to present to a firm, it is 
better, to place them in separate letters. Often different 
men are to consider the different items, and it will greatly 
aid in the handling of your business if you have for each 
different man a separate letter with just the material in it 
that he should consider. 

All personal matters should be eliminated from business 
letters. Many a business letter has been robbed of its effect- 
iveness because a writer attempted to say something amusing. 
So-called cleverness is another detrimental thing in Business 
Letter Writing. Once the reader gets the impression that 
the writer is clever, his mind is thrown from the serious con- 
sideration of the subject matter to the peculiarities of the 
writer's style. When he has finished reading, he has lost the 
business point and only retains in his mind some little oddity 
or amusing thought. Nothing makes a business letter so 
effective as plain, sober, straight-forward words and sentences. 

Exactness in writing calls for definiteness in thinking. 
You can not successfully write about one thing and think 
about another. Determine precisely what you want to write 
about and then select words that cannot have a double mean- 
ing. The habit of clearly visualizing everything will do 
much for exactness in writing. 

Exactness means attention to details. See that your 
letter is correctly dated; that the recipient's name is cor- 
rectly spelled; that the city, state, and street number or 
rural route are properly written, and that your own name 
and address is on the letter and envelope. If you enclose 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 27 

money, check, draft, money order, express order, or stamps, 
it should be mentioned; the amount should be named; and 
its purpose specifically indicated. In ordering goods, care 
should be taken that the correct amount is written and the 
catalog number given. In fact every letter should be com- 
plete in itself, and all its details accurately stated. 

What is Personality? Some one has said that personality 
is an attractive influence which an individual exercises over 
those about him, and is the result of a high development of 
the positive forces and faculties of the body, mind, and spirit. 
If this is true of a person, then it applies with equal force to 
a letter. 

Giving your letter personality, is expressing yourself in 
your own individual way. It consists in freeing your work 
from that machine-like sameness which tradition has placed 
upon Letter Writing. It is giving human interest a chance. 
Why is humanity so interesting? Because while all are the 
same there are no two alike. This seeming contradiction is 
both the joy and confusion of all students of human nature. 

Now, if you would give your letters personality you must 
write them the same as other people — yet "different." Per- 
sonality in letters gives a man-to-man attitude, and a chance 
for originality of thought and expression. A letter with per- 
sonality stands out from its machine-like companions as a 
strong man in a crowd. Its personal touch, its honest ring, 
its sincere tone creates confidence and unties wallet strings 
where the custom-made letter goes into the waste basket. 

Courtesy gives to a letter what fragrance gives to the 
rose. It is like frosting on the cake. It is a covering — an 
atmosphere — with a power, though intangible, that is none 
the less real and effective. You must have courteous feelings 
before you can give to your letter courteous expressions. 

Nothing pays such large dividends in business as courtesy. 
Few things have sent so many men "on the rocks" as dis- 
courtesy. Discourtesy is that grouchy spirit which shows 
no inclination to be accommodating; or which grudgingly 
grants a request. No man can climb very high on the ladder 



28 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

of business success unless he is filled to overflowing with a 
spirit to serve his fellow men because of a love to serve. This 
spirit when it finds expression is called courtesy. 

Courtesy should not be mistaken for fawning or fulsome 
flattery. The imitation is just as detrimental as the gen- 
uine is helpful. It is the true, the real, the genuine courtesy 
that makes letters effective — a power to win customers, 
build business, and develop prestige. 

Composition of Letters 

In the construction of a letter, you have three elements 
for consideration and study: first, words; second, phrases; 
and third, sentences. The fourth consideration is the arrange- 
ment of these words, phrases, and sentences into groups called 
paragraphs. 

Before you are capable of writing an effective letter you 
must receive a thorough drill in word study. You must not 
only have an extensive vocabulary yourself, but you must 
know the limits of an ordinary person's vocabulary. Your 
letter will avail you little or nothing if you use words that the 
reader will fail to understand or appreciate. 

Shakespeare said there are "eager words — faint words — 
tired words — weak words — strong words — successful words," 
and Hawthorne declared that there is an "unaccountable spell 
that lurks in a syllable." There is a character and a person- 
ality in words with which you must acquaint yourself. You 
must not only look at the words but you must look into them. 
As people read messages between the lines, so in words there 
are half-revealed and half-concealed thoughts and sugges- 
tions. Unless you know words thoroughly, you are likely 
to give the wrong suggestion instead of the right one. The 
successful writer is the one who knows and appreciates these 
"eager words — strong words;" recognizes their possibilities 
and limitations; and chooses them with the skill that an 
artist displays in mixing colors for his canvas. 

The majority of letters are not forceful. They fail to grip 
the attention. Being colorless and insipid, their destination 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 29 

is the waste basket. To be clear, to be forceful, to be attrac- 
tive, you must make use of carefully selected words and apt 
figures of speech. Neglect them, and your letter becomes 
merely a collection of stale facts, dry statements, and un- 
interesting arguments. You must cultivate a crisp, in- 
vigorating style, for few men will take the time to decipher 
a proposition that is obscured by ambiguous words and in- 
volved phrases. 

The first essential for an effective style is clearness — make 
your meaning plain. Look to the individual words; use them 
in the simplest way, distinctive words to give exactness of 
meaning and familiar words to give strength. Words are 
the private soldiers under the command of the writer; and for 
ease in management he wants short words — a long word is 
awkward, unwieldy, and often out of place. High-sounding 
words, that are dragged into a letter for effect, may impress 
a reader but they generally cause him to miss the import of 
the message. Avoid unfamiliar words. Clothe your thoughts 
in words no one can mistake — the kind of language that men 
use in the office or on the street. Do not write so that the 
reader will have to turn back and go over your letter to see 
the point. It is too much to expect him to dig out your 
meaning and then enthuse himself over your proposition. 

The men who write effective letters weigh carefully every 
phrase and sentence, not only pruning away every unessential 
word, but using words of Anglo-Saxon origin whenever 
possible rather than words of Latin derivation. Contrast 
"Indicate your selection" with "Take your choice." Which 
would you prefer? The latter, of course, because it is a 
simpler, stronger statement with a meaning that goes straight 
to the reader's mind without any effort. "We are unable 
to discern" was the way a novice started to answer a letter 
of complaint, but the chief turned it down. "We cannot see" 
took its place because it was short, concise, and to the point. 

This sentence was found in a letter from a corespondence 
school: "Assuming that you are in search of valuable infor- 
mation that may increase your earning capacity by a more 



30 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

complete knowledge of any subject in which you may be 
interested, we desire to state most emphatically that your 
wages increase with your intelligence." What a relief it 
would have been both to the writer and the reader if it 
had read: "You can earn more as you learn more." The 
first is so involved and so uninteresting that you get lost 
before you are through. The second is short, emphatic, 
and clearly sets forth the thought. 

Proverbs are sentences that have lived because they ex- 
press truth in short, familiar words; and letters that get 
results must be built on the same plan. While short words 
are necessary for force and vigor, it may be very desirable at 
times to use longer and less familiar words to bring out the 
finer shades of meaning. A subtle distinction can not be 
ignored simply because one word is shorter than another. 

As a usual thing "home" is preferable to "residence" 
but there are times the longer word should be used. "Street" 
and "thoroughfare," "begin" and "commence" "at once" 
and "immediately," "start" and "inaugurate," "buy" and 
"purchase" "give" and "donate" are illustrations of this 
point; and while the short, Anglo-Saxon word is nearly al- 
ways preferable, it should not be used when a longer word 
expresses more accurately the thought which the writer 
wishes to convey. 

The selection of words is not the only thing that the writer 
must consider. The placing of words to secure emphasis is 
no less important. The strength of a statement may depend 
upon the adroitness with which the words are used. "Dur- 
ability — that is our talking point. Other machines are 
cheaper if you only consider the first cost, but they soon 
prove more expensive when durability is considered." Posi- 
tion gives to the word "durability" an emphasis that could 
be obtained in no other way. 

In the study of phrases, we find there are a large numbei 
of shelf worn, hand-me-down, hacked-about expressions that 
have long outlived their usefulness. Here are a few of them : 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 31 

"We beg to state," "We beg to acknowledge," "We take 
pleasure in acknowledging" "We take the liberty of," "Await- 
ing your reply," "Hoping to hear from you," and so on and 
so forth, until one begins to wonder why in letter writing 
people had to get into a rut and lose all originality. 

Omit all "begging," "stating" "hoping," "liberty" re- 
marks. Interest the reader quickly. Use phrases that will 
put snap and sparkle into your letter. Employ as much 
originality as possible; avoid the moss-grown usages of tra- 
dition; instill an invigorating air of freshness; and your letter 
will stand out in the reader's mail as an oasis in a desert land. 

After a study of phrases, the writer must look to com- 
pleted sentences; and the man who succeeds in selling goods 
by mail recognizes first of all the force of concise statements. 
"You can pay more but you can't buy more" This state- 
ment strikes home with the force of a blow. "We couldnt 
improve the powder, so we improved the box" There is noth- 
ing but assertion in this sentence, but it carries conviction. 
Not a word is out of place. The idea is expressed concisely, 
forcibly. The simplicity of the sentence is more effective 
than pages of argument. 

Short sentences are plain and forceful, but when used 
exclusively, they become tiresome and monotonous. A short 
sentence is frequently more striking when preceding or follow- 
ing a long sentence. There are times when a proposition 
cannot be brought out clearly by short sentences. The long 
sentence permits comparisons and climaxes that short sen- 
tences cannot give. 

Here is an illustration showing the force to be attained by 
the proper construction of a long sentence: "Just as the 
physician may read medicine, just as the lawyer may read 
law, just so may a man read business — the science of the game 
which enables some men to succeed where others fail; it is 
no longer enveloped in mystery and in darkness" There is 
no confusion in the reader's mind as he follows this, and his 
interest is all the more intensified because of the gradual 
unfolding of the idea back of the sentence. 



32 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

After the choice of words, the placing of words, and the 
construction of sentences, comes the other essential of style — 
the use of figures of speech, the illustrating of one's thought 
by apt allusions. Here is the way a sales manager urges his 
men on the road regarding a contest; "Come on, boys. This 
is the last turn around the track. The track was heavy at 
the start but tf none of you break on the home stretch, you 
are bound to come under the wire with a good record." You 
can see how this figure of speech would set these men on fire 
with enthusiasm. But suppose he had said, "Get busy! 
Keep on the job! Send in more orders!" Do you think anyone 
would have felt inspired? No. The chances are they would 
all be wearing a "grouch" for being crowded so hard. 

By framing your ideas in artistic figures of speech, you 
bring out their colors, their lines, their fullest meaning — and 
more than that you know they will be read. But in the at- 
tempt to add grace and attractiveness by some figurative 
expression, one must not overlook the importance of facts- — 
cold, plainly stated facts, which are often the shortest and 
most convincing arguments. No figure of speech can make 
such a profound impression as this plain, concise statement 
of fact: "Last year our business was $2,435,893 ahead of 
the year before." 

Now, at, a review, note the various requirements. Words 
should be short, exact, specific, and preferably Anglo-Saxon. 
Phrases should be vivid, terse, striking, and natural. Sen- 
tences should be clear, concise, comprehensive, forceful, and 
figurative whenever possible. Paragraphs should be short, 
uniform, logical, and orderly. 

Paragraphs should be short, because in long paragraphs 
the thought is concealed and the reader becomes confused. 
Short paragraphs properly display your ideas and give them 
prominence. Paragraphs should as nearly as possible be 
uniform in length as this adds to the attractiveness of the 
letter. Paragraphs should be logical; that is, they should 
not contain several conflicting or confusing elements. One 
particular thought, idea, or reason is sufficient for a paragraph. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 33 

However, it may sometimes be advisable to put several short 
statements which concern different topics into one paragraph 
rather than have a number of very short paragraphs of a 
line or a part of a line each. Paragraphs should be arranged 
in the order of the thought of the letter. Certain things be- 
long at the beginning, while others should come near the end; 
and if they are transposed, the result is fatal to the life and 
force of the letter. Care and common sense must be exer- 
cised in paragraphing, and extremes avoided. 

In other words, it is very important that the several topics 
of a letter should be introduced in a natural order, and 
that each should be completed before another is taken up. 
Nothing is more confusing or annoying than to receive a 
letter in which sentences in nowise related are thrown together 
at random, just as they came into the mind of the writer, 
and with no attempt at logical arrangement. 

Study the method of paragraphing in the following letter: 



Dear Mr. Benson: 

You believe in protecting your home from fire, don't you? But 
how about protecting it from other elements? 

The next time it rains, your shingle roof may leak, your ceil- 
ings may be water soaked, and some of the choicest and most valued 
contents of your home damaged beyond repair. 

Sooner or later, shingles are bound to warp and curl, pulling 
out nails and allowing the rain to beat in. Furthermore, they rot 
quickly when shaded, and even though they may look firm, they allow 
the water to soak through. 

But it isn't necessary for you to run this risk. For at no more 
than what ordinary shingles cost, you can get absolute protection — 
in Neponoid. Here at last is a roofing that will withstand, year in 
and year out, the most severe weather. 

Neponoid is made of the very best of raw materials. It is laid 
in three layers over the entire surface. Over that goes a red coat- 
ing that oxidizes after a short exposure and makes a surface solid as 
slate and absolutely unaffected by heat, cold, or dampness. 

Just sit down for a moment and figure up how long it has been 
since your roof was put on. Can you trust longer to its doubtful 
protective qualities? Neponoid can be laid right over the old roof, 
as the booklet shows. The cost includes nails and cement — and we 
pay the freight. 

Simply fill in the dimensions of your roof on the enclosed order 
blank, sign and mail today. 

Yours very truly, 



In the foregoing letter, it was necessary to have seven 
paragraphs, 1. Necessity of protection, 2. Inferior roof and 



34 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

therefore damage, 3. Inferior material, 4. No risk with Ne- 
ponoid, 5. What it is and how used, 6. The cost, 7. Request 
for order. 

Psychological Construction 

Thinking affects action. If a person thinks right, he will 
act right. If you can get a man to think the way you want 
him to think, you can get him to act the way you want him 
to act. So we must consider the psychological construction 
of letters; we must know the thought processes of the mind, 
if we are able to gain that commanding and attractive style 
which brings the greatest results. 

What are the steps taken by the mind in the considera- 
tion of a successful letter? They are four — attention, interest, 
desire, and a resolve to act. A letter that does not attract 
attention, arouse interest, create desire, and secure action, is 
wasted effort. Every letter prepared in which the writer 
does not ask himself, "Will this gain the reader's favorable 
attention? Will this stir up his interest? Will this work 
upon his desire? Will this compel him to act as I want him 
to act?" is certainly doomed to failure. You cannot violate 
the laws of the mind and succeed, but you are sure to win 
if you work in harmony with Nature and understand her ways. 

How are you to attract favorable attention? By begin- 
ning your letter with some statement that touches the life 
and welfare of the reader, and expressing it in words that 
have not long since been worn out. Do you know that words 
and phrases get so badly overworked that they are positively 
insipid? How would you like potatoes prepared for dinner, 
warmed over for supper, and served cold next morning for 
breakfast? The opening of many letters is as stale as the 
cold potatoes for breakfast. 

You attract attention by saying things out of the beaten 
track; something fresh; something appealing from the reader's 
point of view. To learn the value of saying "you" is a great 
attainment. The "you" element is the most attractive thing 
ever put into a letter. But the sure death of all interest, 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 35 

even before it has begun, is "we," "we," "we,' ' "us," "our ""me" 
"my," and "/." These are the words you must shove in the 
background, and keep them there. The business man who 
opens your letter is naturally more interested in himself 
and his affairs than in yours; and if you are to get his atten- 
tion on a busy morning when work is piled high on his desk, 
you must do so by addressing him with some remark that 
concerns his welfare. 

One well known expert on Letter Writing says, "It is 
worth $5,000 to any man to know how to use the word "you." 
What he means is this : You must make the other fellow think 
he is to be benefited by the purchase — that delay is harming 
him — costing him money. You must keep yourself and your 
interests in the background. How stupid to say, "We are 
very desirous of receiving an order from you" Of course 
you are. He knows that. Then why tell him about it — 
your gain and your profit. 

Instead of saying, "We make," "We sell," "We want" 
etc., how much more forceful it is to say "Have you ever 
thought," "You are, undoubtedly, aware," "Your success 
proves," "You know the value of," "You have by this time," 
etc., and by keeping at it in this way, you will soon get your 
prospect to think, "This proposition is for me". When this 
thought goes through his mind, you have his attention, and 
the kind of attention, too, that can be aroused into interest. 

The next question is, "How are you to stir interest?" 
Human interest is aroused by playing upon human instincts 
and feelings. An eye-wash manufacturer says, "Ten thous- 
and people went blind last year in New York state alone. 
Are your eyes in danger?" and the appeal has struck that 
most ancient of emotions — fear. 

Suppose you are writing to a woman on the subject of 
boys' clothing. You display for your opening: 

"Dear Mrs. Palmer: 

About that Boy of yours, — '* 
and you strike that strongest of human instincts — parental 
love. You immediately have her attention; for that boy is 



36 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

the most interesting thing in the world — to his mother. 
Now, see how you can turn this attention into interest. 
Notice how you can enlist her sympathy, gain her confidence, 
and bring her to look at your proposition from the right point 
of view. 

"He is arriving at the age when his spirit of manliness is 
beginning to assert itself. You find him imitating his father s 
manners — he is using your embroidery scissors to shave with 
— he is no longer ambitious to be a policeman, but has his 
eye on the Presidency. 

"Among the serious problems with him today is this: — 
he is beginning to want manly, square-cut, grown up clothes. 
He is no longer satisfied with ordinary boys' clothes. He 
wants something 'like father's'." 

This is human interest — and human interest, held and 
intensified by clear and clean-cut explanations and vivid 
descriptions, will ripen into desire. 

Desire reaches its full size when fed on proof, argument, 
cold, hard logic, and facts. Show your prospect the gain to 
be made — the comfort to be reached — the satisfaction to 
be experienced — by accepting your proposition. Notice 
how this real estate man introduces his easy-payment plan 
for buying a home. 

"You pay rent, do you not? Suppose you applied that 
same check towards a home of your own. You would not 
be paying out any more money, and at the end of a few years, 
instead of being the owner of a pile of musty receipts, you 
would be the owner of a fine house and lot. 

"Here are the figures: prove it to yourself." 

You can just see gain, comfort, and satisfaction sticking 
out all over in this attempt to create desire. When facts 
and figures, proofs and arguments begin to get in their work, 
then comes the next application — persuasion. 

By persuasion we do not mean simply begging or coax- 
ing; but refer to that true appeal to the longings of the heart. 
See how effectively that chord is touched by a writer for a 
correspondence school. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 37 

"Think of those times when you have yearned for a future 
— when you have grown impatient with the barriers that 
seemed to hold you doivn — when you heard of the career of 
some acquaintance whom you know to be inwardly no more 
capable than you\ It is a matter of developed opportunity. 
"Our instruction perfects you in a profession that is 
golden with opportunity. It fits you for success anywhere. 
Would you like to make your residence in busy, cosmopolitan 
New York? Would you Uk3 to live in some quaint old 
southern town like New Orleans? Would you like to live 
in the quiet old national capital — Washington? 

"The profession we will train you to, will enable you to 
choose your own location — there is unlimited demand for it 
everywhere. Will you not let me show you how you may 
reach out and grasp this opportunity?'* 

In your attempts at persuasion, you must not become 
familiar, nor presume upon intimacy. Your appeal must 
be honest, sincere, and courteous, and be filled with heart- 
throbs. 

With desire fanned into a flame, comes the inducement 
for action. Many business men prepare letters that are 
strong on attracting attention, vigorous in working up in- 
terest and desire, and yet that fail to bring returns. An 
investigation of such letters will invariably show that they 
are weak when it comes to the inducement for action. 

An office manager once prepared a letter from which he 
expected great things — yet the silence was unbroken — not 
a single reply was received. An assistant, who was sent to 
investigate, tells this story: 

"Naturally the office decided that the trade was in bad 
shape, and I was sent to find out why. The first customer 
I met was a stolid old German. 'Why didn't you answer that 
letter we sent you last week?' I asked. 'Why should I?' 
he replied. 

"And when I got back to the office and re-read that letter, 
I saw the point. There was no reason why anybody should 
have answered — there was no inducement. " 



38 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

Never finish a letter without asking yourself, "Is there 
any reason why that man should answer my letter?" If 
you can truthfully say, "Yes, sir, there is a very strong 
reason why he should answer," then you can expect results. 
If you feel rather doubtful about it, work awhile longer on 
that letter before you send it out. And right here you have 
the reason for so many poor, unproductive letters — men 
are in such a rush that they do not stop to investigate. Fail- 
ing to get results, they either berate their customers, or say, 
"There is nothing to Letter Writing, anyway." These men 
run three-fourths of the race, and then sit down and com- 
plain because they do not win a prize. 

The question may arise, "Why doesn't the customer order 
when his attention has been gained by your attractive open- 
ing — when his interest has been aroused by your appeal to 
his instincts and feelings — when his desire has been developed 
by your arguments, proofs, facts, logic, description, and 
persuasion — why? — yes, why doesn't he order?" 

Just think a moment. How many times have you desired 
to buy something, yet failed to do so even though you could 
afford it? Why didn't you buy? You wanted to. You 
said to yourself, "Not today — not just yet — some other time 
though, I will." Ah, there you have it — procrastination — 
that's the word — putting things off — the old, old trouble 
with the people of this world. That word "procrastination" 
is surely a bad one. It is not only the "thief of time," but 
the thief of countless orders that should be yours. 

The big question is, "How can you make your induce- 
ment strong enough to overcome this thief of time — this 
thief of orders?" 

It is done by the proper use of one little word — gain, 
While there are many twists you can give this little word, the 
following will be sufficient to illustrate: 

1. Gain of money. 

2. Gain of special consideration. 

3. Gain of prompt and efficient service. 

4. Gain of personal improvement. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 39 

5. Gain of protection. 

6. Gain of pride. 

7. Gain of satisfaction. 

Not only are men attracted by gain, but they are afraid 
to lose. The fear of loss will often move a man to action 
quicker than the desire to gain. Make a man feel that he 
is about to lose his life — yell that something is going to fall 
on him, and you will get action in the least possible space of 
time. While you never can find any thing that strong to 
put in your letter, you can find many strong and compelling 
appeals that will get immediate action. 

Human nature is peculiar. If we wait because we want 
to, we never seem to mind it in the least. But if we wait be- 
cause we are forced to — then, indeed, we stew and fret in 
great style. This fact was taken advantage of by a book 
publisher in the following : 

"We have remaining just 652 sets of these books. Orders 
are coming in at the rate of about 75 a day. Unless you 
order at once there will be no chance to secure this valuable 
reference library at this greatly reduced price. The new 
edition to be placed on the market in the next two or three 
months will be much more costly. Delay, you know, is 
expensive; for in less than ten days, we will be entirely closed 
out. Think how annoying it will be to have to wait several 
months and then pay a higher price." 

The appeal of money — the appeal of special consideration 
— the appeal of prompt and efficient service — form an effec- 
tive closing for letters in all lines of business. Gain of per- 
sonal improvement applies to educational letters; gain of 
protection to insurance letters; gain of pride to any line that 
has to do with style, or the prevailing mode; and the gain 
of satisfaction to any article of merit and quality. 

Always make the inducement seem easy xo take hold of. 
Leave no doubt in the reader's mind as to the correct thing 
to do. Uncertainty, you know, is the mother of inaction. 

After a nail has been driven home, the wise builder will 
reach over on the other side and clinch it. The wise builder 



40 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 



of letters will never leave an inducement until he has finished 
clinching it. The publisher from whose letter the foregoing 
inducement was taken, used the following "clincher :" 

"Sign the enclosed card and mail it today. Dont take 
the trouble of looking for a pen— use your pencil. Remember 
—you take no risks whatever. If you are not entirely sat- 
isfied with this set, return it in five days— at our expense— 
and we will cancel the account." 

While it has taken quite a lengthy article to properly 
discuss these psychological features, it does not take a very 
lengthy letter in order to use them properly. The following 
is a short, but highly successful letter which you will do well 
to study closely: 



ATTENTION 
INTEREST 



EXPLANATION 

ARGUMENT 

PROOF 

FOR 

CREATING 

DESIRE 

INDUCEMENT 
PERSUASION 



CLINCHER 



Dear Sir: 

You wouldn't think of folding your calling 
cards before handing them out, would you? 

Then why enclose your valuable papers in 
an old style No. 10 envelope where you have to 
crease and fold them all out of shape? Our 
new style No. 10 l A Glazed Kraft Envelope 
overcomes this difficulty and carries your 
documents with neatness and safety. 

Now, examine the enclosed sample. Note 
its capacity — equal to a No. 11, yet no longer 
than a No. 10. Look at that deep flap with its 
wide gumming. Doesn't that indicate security? 
See how light, yet how strong it is — this feature 
alone will save you $20.00 in postage on every 
1000 you mail over the heavier weight envelopes 
of equal strength. 

Our price is just as attractive — $4.95 per 
thousand, and the quicker you send in your order 
the more you will save — for this envelope pays 
for itself in saving postage more than four times 
its cost. 

If you will send in your order within the 
next ten days for 10,000, we will print your 
corner card on them free. 



Preparing and Marking Manuscripts 

The following rules are given to guide the student in pre- 
paring his letters. Instead of correcting the error, the teacher 
may, if he thinks best, merely write in red ink the number 
of the rule that governs the case. This will make it nee- 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 41 

essary for the student to refer constantly to these rules; so 
if he is wise, he will set about memorizing them immediately. 
Rules for the Period 

1. A period should be placed at the end of every declara- 
tive and imperative sentence. 

2. A period should be placed after initials and abbreviated 
words. 

3. A period should be placed after the figure in a num- 
bered series. 

4. A period should be used to separate decimal fractions 
from whole numbers, and dollars from cents. 

5. In the heading of a letter, a period should be placed 
after the state if abbreviated, and after the year. 

6. In the address, only a period should be placed after 
the state. 

Rules for the Comma 

7. Words or phrases used in a series in the same con- 
struction should be separated by commas. 

8. Intermediate, explanatory, or parenthetical expres- 
sions should usually be separated from the rest of the sentence 
by commas. 

9. Transposed phrases or clauses should usually be separ- 
ated from the rest of the sentence by commas. 

10. A comma should be placed after the street, building, 
post office box, rural route, city, county, state, and the day 
of the month in the heading of a letter. 

11. A comma should be placed after the name of the re- 
cipient, the street, building, and the city in the address of a 
letter. 

12. A comma should always be placed after the compli- 
mentary close. 

13. A comma should be placed after the firm's name when 
followed by the signature of some member of the firm. 

14. Introductory expressions are usually set off from the 
rest of the sentence by a comma. 

15. A comma is used after an informal introduction to a 
short quotat : on. 



42 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

16. Words in apposition, with their accompanying modi- 
fiers, should be separated from the rest of the sentence by 
commas. 

17. Members of a compound sentence when similar in 
thought should be separated by commas. 

18. Words repeated for emphasis should be set off by 
commas. 

19. Non-restrictive relative clauses should be separated 
from the rest of the sentence by commas. 

20. Clauses introduced by the conjunctive adverbs "when," 
"where," "while," "as," etc., when non-restrictive and 
used to present an additional thought should be set off by 
commas. 

21. When in a compound sentence a verb is expressed in 
the first member and understood in the others, the omission 
should be indicated by commas. 

Rules for the Colon 

22. A colon should always be placed after the salutation. 

23. A colon should be placed before a formal enumeration 
of particulars of a direct quotation when introduced by "this," 
"these," "as follows," "the following," or similar expressions. 

24. A colon should be used between hours and minutes 
when expressed in figures. 

Rules for the Semicolon 

25. When the members of a compound sentence are slightly 
connected, or are themselves subdivided by commas, they 
should usually be separated by the semicolon. 

26. A semicoln should be placed between the members of 
a compound sentence when no conjunction is used. 

Rules for the Hyphen 

27. The hyphen should be used at the end of a line to indi- 
cate that a word has been divided. 

28. The hyphen should be used between the parts of com- 
pound words. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 43 

29. The hyphen should be used between the parts of com- 
pound modifiers. 

30. Two hyphens should be used in typewriting to indicate 
a dash. 

Rules for the Apostrophe 

31. The apostrophe should be used to denote the omiss'ion 
of letters. 

32. The apostrophe should be used to form the possessive 
case. 

33. The apostrophe should be used to form the plural of 
letters, figures, and signs. 

Rules for Quotation Marks 

34. Every direct quotation should be enclosed in quota- 
tion marks. 

35. A quotation within a quotation should be enclosed in 
single quotation marks. On the typewriter, the apostrophe 
is used as the single quotation mark. 

36. When a quotation consists of several consecutive par- 
agraphs, quotation marks are placed before each; but, the 
closing marks are used after the last paragraph only. 

37. Specially used words and expressions should be en- 
closed in quotation marks. 

Rules for Interrogation and Exclamation Points 

38. An interrogation point should be placed after every 
direct question. 

39. In letters, the exclamation point is used to express 
emotion or emphasis. 

Rules for the Dash 

40. A dash should be used to indicate a pause for rhetorical 
effect. 

41. A dash should be used to denote the summing up of 
particulars. 

42. A dash should be used to mark a sudden or abrupt 
change in the thought or construction of the sentence. 



44 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

43. A dash should be used to set off parenthetical ex- 
pressions when the connection is not close enough to justify 
the use of commas. 

Rules for the Parenthesis 

44. The parenthesis should be used to enclose an incidental 
remark independent of the grammatical construction of the 
sentence. 

45. The parenthesis should be used to enclose a number 
in figures when it is also written in words. 

Rules for the Capitals 

46. The first word in every sentence should begin with a 
capital letter. 

47. The first word in a series of numbered phrases or 
clauses should begin with a capital letter. 

48. The words I and O should always be written with 
the capital letter. 

49. The first word of every direct quotation or direct 
question should begin with a capital letter. 

50. Every proper noun should begin with a capital letter. 

51. Adjectives derived from proper nouns should begin 
with capital letters. 

52. Specially used words may be capitalized to secure 
emphasis. 

53. In the title of books and in the headings of essays, 
etc., every noun, pronoun, adjective, verb, and adverb 
should begin with a capital letter. 

54. When applied to a particular person, or used as a 
part of a name, titles of office and honor should begin with a 
capital letter. 

55. The first word after an introductory word or clause 
should begin with a capital letter. 

56. The days of the week and the months of the year 
should be capitalized. 

57. The words North, East, South, and West, and their 
compounds, Southwest, etc., when used to denote a certain 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 45 

part of the country should begin with a capital letter. But 
when used to indicate direction, they should begin with a 
small letter. 

58. All names of Deity should begin with capital letters. 

Rules for Arrangement 

59. The heading of a letter consists of the address of the 
writer and the date. It should be placed in the upper right 
so as to extend about to the right margin. It may occupy 
one, two or three lines. The date should be written last. 

60. Do not use st., th, d, after the day of the month. 
Write the year in full; 1920 is better than '20 or -20. Write 
Oct. 15, 1920. 

61. The salutation should be placed below the address, 
and should be in line for margin with the rest of the letter. 

62. In pen written letters the margin on the left should 
be about one-half inch and the right margin a little less. 

63. In typewritten letters the margin on the right should 
be about the same as on the left — about one inch. 

64. Keep the right margin as even as possible. (If the 
letter is short increase the margin and place the letter in the 
center of the page to give a well balanced effect). 

65. The paragraphs should be indented from the margin 
about half an inch when the letter is penwritten, and five 
spaces when typewritten. Some prefer ten spaces, but those 
following this course are asked to use only five. (The letter 
presents a much better appearance if there is double or 
triple spacing between paragraphs; see accompanying forms.) 

66. The complimentary close should begin at the same 
place on the scale as the date line — a double space below 
the last line of the letter. 

67. The postscript should be placed in the lower left- 
hand corner. 

68. Words at the end of the line should be divided only 
between syllables. When in doubt, consult the dictionary. 



46 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

Rules for the Use of Words 

69. A verb should agree in person and number with its 
subject. 

70. Two or more singular subjects joined by "or" or 
"nor" require a singular verb. 

71. A verb agrees with its subject, not with its comple- 
ment. (This rule is sometimes violated when the order 
of the sentence is transposed.) 

72. "Each, every, either, neither, some one, somebody, 
any one, anybody, every one, everybody, no one, nobody, 
one, a person/' require singular verbs and pronouns. 

73. As the object of a verb or of a preposition, use "whom." 

74. As the subject of a verb, use "who." 

75. An adverb is used to modify a verb. 

76. An adjective is used after an impure copulative verb. 

77. When you wish to indicate future events, use "shall" 
in the first person, and "will" in the second and third. 

78. When you wish to indicate a promise or determina- 
tion, use "will" in the first person, and "shall" in the second 
and third. 

79. "Should" is used the same as "shall"; "would," the 
same as "will." 

80. Adjectives form the comparative degree by adding 
"r" or "er" to the positive form, or by prefixing "more" or 
"less." 

81. Adjectives form the superlative degree by adding 
"st" or "est" to the positive form, or by prefixing "most" 
or "least." 

82. Avoid the double comparison of adjectives. 

83. The possessive form of the pronoun should be used 
when the pronoun is used as a modifier in a phrase. 

84. Do not place an adverb between an infinitive and its 
sign. (This is called a split infinitive.) 

85. Do not join a relative clause to its principal clause 
by "and" or "but." 

86. Do not begin a sentence and leave it unfinished. . 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 47 

87. Do not use high-flown language for plain things. 

88. Avoid tautology; i.e., the useless repetition of an idea, 
entire or in part. 

89. Avoid a double negative; i. e., the use, in a sentence, 
of two or more negative words not co-ordinate. 

90. Avoid burdening a statement wilii too many words. 

91. Guard the spelling of your words. Consult the dic- 
tionary when in doubt. 

92. Do not use too many long sentences. Have many 
more short ones than long ones. 

93. Do not make your paragraphs too long. Keep them 
uniform. 

94. Always use your best penmanship. Poor penmanship 
cannot be accepted. If you are using a typewriter, let every 
copy submitted to the teacher be your very best. 

Some Don'ts 

95. Don't hand in work with blots or finger prints. 

96. Don't erase or scratch out a word and then write in the 
correction. 

97. Don't write with a worn-out pen that scratches. 

98. Don't be afraid to write your letters over to correct 
your errors. 

99. Don't fail handing in your work on time. 



Part II 

Letter Writing for the Business 
Builder 



Exercises and Letters 



Introduction 

The first part of this course is devoted to instruction and 
advice for the student, and should be studied very thoroughly 
before he takes up the actual drill in writing letters. As a 
preparation for this work, five exercises are given in arrang- 
ing the parts of a letter; also, a list of questions accompany 
each exercise to serve as a review for the instructions in Part 1. 

These exercises should be written on standard letter paper, 
83^x11; folded according to instructions for the tri-fold as 
given on page 14; and inserted in a No. 6^ envelope. 

Address the envelope to your teacher, and place your 
name and exercise number in the upper left-hand corner. 
Don't seal the envelope — just tuck in the flap. 

Study closely the illustrations on pages 8, 9, 10, 11, and 14. 
Watch your margins, indentations, and punctuation. Noth- 
ing but your best penmanship will be accepted. Write on 
only one side of the paper. 

Exercise One 

Arrange, punctuate, and capitalize the following head- 
ings: 

1. mason city ia June 7 19. . . . 

2. 132 grove st logan utah sept 1 19 ... . 

3. topeco floyd co va jan 8 19 ... . 

4. masonic temple hartford conn mar 5 19. . . . 

5. 1984 w lincoln st new bedford mass may 9 19. . . . 

49 



50 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

6. r f d no 3 newberry center vt feb 16 19.... 

7. 174 e 3 st osage city kans apr 1 19.... 

8. auditorium bldg Chicago ill oct 14 19.... 

9. lock box 573 port huron mich dec 25 19.... 

10. 1276 Pennsylvania ave Washington d c July 4 19.... 

Review Questions 

Be prepared to answer the following questions in class: 

1. What is the big puzzle that most business men would 
like to have solved? Do vou believe it can be done? 

2. What are some of the things a letter can be made to do? 

3. When is a letter better than a salesman? Why? 

4. What are the necessary materials needed for Letter 
Writing? 

5. Discuss grade and sizes of stationery. 

6. What purpose is served by the envelope, and what 
is the advantage in having several sizes? 

7. What are the nine divisions of a letter? Explain the 
use and arrangement of each. 

8. What are the advantages in the different ways of 
addressing envelopes? 

9. What are the stages in learning to write? 

10. Describe each stage. 

Exercise Two 

Arrange, punctuate, and capitalize the following headings 
and addresses, using a suitable salutation for each: 

1. junction city kans nov 19 19.... mr j w wilson 148 
chronicle bldg san francisco calif 

2. 95 rockwell terrace norwich conn aug 8 19.,.. gregg pub 
co 32 s wabash chicago ill 

3. 69 lock box Johnstown pa mar 6 19.... dr baswiftmaple 
wood n j 

4. hotel termont 473 arlington place marine harbor n y 
June 30 19.... rev geo a bowman paw paw junct mo 

5. r f d no 2 spring valley wis July 16 19.... long & ban- 
nerman 74 s 15 st youngstown o 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 51 

Review Questions 

Don't fail to give these questions close attention. It is 
repetition that counts — over and over again, is the sure 
way to win. 

1. What are the requirements of a letter? 

2. What is business English? 

3. Wherein is it different from carpenter's English, or 
farmer's English, or literary English? 

4. Why do so many stenographers fail? 

5. What are the various methods of folding letters? 
Explain how each is done? 

6. What are the means for displaying letters? 

7. What advantage is gained by display? 

8. What is indicated by the letterhead? 

9. Name the qualities of a good letter. 

10. Explain fully what you mean by each quality. 

Exercise Three 

Arrange, punctuate, and capitalize the following headings 
and addresses, using a different style of salutation and com- 
plimentary close for each one: 

1. hill city s dak oct 10 19... mrs 1 c robertson 1672 olive 
st st louis mo 

2. americus lyon co kans jan 1 19... messrs baker & 
taylor 33 e 17 st new york city 

3. 394 w jackson st highland park ill u s a apr 1 19... miss 
frances e stacy saskatoon Saskatchewan can 

4. 678 n dark st san antonio tex feb 28 19... gov j m 
aguilar monterey mex 

5. r f d no 1 moore hill ind sept 12 19... col wm j bryan 
editor commoner lincoln neb 

Review Questions 

1. What are the advantages of properly arranging a letter 
over placing it in solid form? 

2. Where should you begin the heading? 

3. Why should you leave a margin of about one inch? 



52 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

4. Why should you use a salutation and a complimentary 
close? 

5. How should you arrange a letter when you want a 
certain man to see it without any loss of time? 

6. What salutation should you use when addressing an 
unmarried lady? 

7. How should a firm's name be signed? 

8. What complimentary close should you use when writ- 
ing to superior officers? 

9. What is usually the last thing in a letter? 

10. Give an illustration of what carelessness has done in 
this line. 

Exercise Four 
Cut slips of typewriting paper, 3 3-8x6, or use business 
envelopes, and address them to: 

1. A business firm in your city. 

2. A lawyer in your city. 

3. A doctor in your city. 

4. A minister in your city. 

5. The mayor of your city. 

6. The governor of your state. 

7. A senator from your state. 

8. A judge in your district. 

9. The president of the state university. 

10. The principal in the city high school. 

11. Jones & Smith, City Bank Building, Seattle, Wash. 

12. President, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor, Mich. 

13. Remington Typewriter Co., 327 Broadway, New York 
City. 

14. Mr. George W. Wilson, Sherman Hotel, Chicago, 111. 

15. Mr. H. J. Venable, c-o Springfield Business College, 
Springfield, Mo. 

16. Mr. J. W. Wilkins, 1772-21st Ave., Oakland, Calif. 

17. Mr. F. H. Bodman, Vice-president of the Ellis Pub- 
lishing Co., Battle Creek, Mich. 

18. The Corona Typewriter Agency, 705 Post Building, 
Battle Creek, Mich. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 53 

Review Questions. 

1. About how many envelopes are incorrectly addressed 
each year? 

2. How many letters does Uncle Sam handle in a year? 

3. How long would it take one man to count these letters 
if he counted fifty a minute and worked ten hours a day, and 
three hundred days a year? 

4. What does this course aim to do for the student? 

5. What kind of language does it seek to teach him? 

6. What is the object in writing letters? 

7. How is this object gained? 

8. In what way is a letter most valuable to a young per- 
son? 

9. What machinery do you need to carry on an extensive 
business with Letter Writing.? 

10. What should you do with your answers to important 
letters? 

Exercise Five 

Copy the following letters, using the proper punctuation, 
capitalization, and arrangement: 

mr m v preston jonesboro fla dear sir our mr 

paine states that you use rubber rings of various sizes and in 
two styles and buy ordinarily in lots of 500 to 2000 of each 
size and style at a time now we would like to make you a 
close price to furnish you with this class of goods in order to 
make a close estimate of cost will you be good enough to send 
us samples one of each size and style 18 in all and we will 
return them to you as soon as we can make estimate of cost 
and submit prices the writer understands that your mr 
eastman visits the city quite regularly almost every week 
it would afford us pleasure to have him call upon us and 
accept the hospitality of this store whenever he will make it 
convenient to come and see us the writer would be glad to 
make his acquaintance yours very truly 



54 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

Chicago ill oct 1 19... mr j h rogers warrensburg mo dear 
sir looking over our records a few days ago i noticed that you 
havent been so good a customer of ours in the past twelve 
months as you used to be and the more i looked at that record 
the more i wondered what we had done that caused you to 
practically stop trading with us finally i decided to drop you 
a line and ask whether you are willing to tell me personally 
and frankly just what the trouble has been and whether 
there is anything we havent done that we should have done 
and whether there is anything we can do to get you back 
on our list of regular customers if we can we surely want to 
do it of course accidents will happen and if one has happened 
in this case i hope you will tell me about it i think i can fix 
it up the very day i get your letter wont you write me per- 
sonally on the back of this letter and tell me just how you 
feel about trading with us please use the enclosed stamped 
envelope as i want your reply to come to my desk unopened 
very truly yours j rosenwald & co per w c blank county 
manager p s why not send an order with your reply ill see 
that it is filled in a hurry and just right the best catalog 
we have ever issued is just coming off the press and i am 
sending you copy of it today if it fails to arrive tell me i hope 
you will look on pages 26 and 49 to see something good 

Exercise Five-A 
dear mr burke you wouldnt think of throwing away your 
fountain pen simply because the ink is exhausted then why 
throw away your duplicating machine ribbons we can re-ink 
them as well as you can fill your fountain pen if you will 
examine one of your apparently worthless ribbons you will 
find that the fabric is scarcely worn at all we take these treat 
them with our special process refill them with ink and return 
them to you practically new and for only one half the cost of 
new ribbons read the enclosed folder it explains our proposi- 
tion fully but a trial will convince you and the sooner you 
send them the more youll save why not pack them up put on 
the enclosed shipping label and send them along right now 
yours very truly 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 55 

west coast business college delphos California feby 7 19... 
hon s e marlow 326 saunders st manderel texas dear sir your 
inquiries in letter of jan 10 as to the standard required for 
graduation of pupils by this college and the probability of 
the graduates securing a lucrative position are both timely 
and pertinent it has been almost impossible to impress your 
son with the necessity of close application to fit him for a 
position it is difficult to deal with a young man or woman 
who looks at things from a child's view point in order to be 
graduated by this college in stenography it is required of 
a pupil that he can satisfy the faculty of the following facts 
that he can write a letter in correct english spell all words 
correctly punctuate properly type 45 words a minute and 
write 100 words a minute of new matter in shorthand for 
commercial work pupils are expected to have the same knowl- 
edge of english as in the stenographic course he must be able 
to make all necessary business calculations in fractions deci- 
mals percentage interest etc he must have a thorough knowl- 
edge of debit and credit as applied to all forms of accounting 
such as wholesaling retailing manufacturing banking etc 
in all kinds of office work he must be thorough accurate and 
reasonably rapid we have had but little trouble in placing all 
our graduates in lucrative positions we should have none 
whatever if there were not so many places filled by incompe- 
tent persons who have never covered any complete course 
in any good college we hope this will give you desired in- 
formation and secure your assistance in convincing your 
son that this is not a place of amusement but a workshop 
where he may receive a training for a successful business 
career very sincerely yours a m masters 

Exercise Five-B 

ellis publishing company battle creek mich at- 
tention of office manager gentlemen may i ask for a bit of 
advice upon an office device as our letterhead indicates we 
are sales agents for office specialties the manufacturer of a 
certain envelope sealer wishes us to undertake its sale he tells 



56 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

us that his machine has been in use in some offices for eight 
years that it is the one machine that will really stand up 
under a severe test this sealer will take all envelopes regard- 
less of size furthermore he states that it has an allmetal 
moistener no wicks or sponges and no belts to wear out 
frankly the machine looks very good to us but before going 
into the matter definitely we would appreciate having some 
keen-minded executives make a test of this valuable time- 
saver if you will just indicate your consent upon the enclosed 
return card i will gladly send you a machine for you to test 
out for ten days no obligation whatsoever other than to give 
me your frank opinion as to its working merits if you wish 
the machine after it has proved its worth in your service 
test it is yours for $38 if the device pleases you it will en- 
courage me to push its sale so i shall appreciate your criti- 
cism very highly may I send the machine for test with good 
wishes appreciatively yours 

Review Questions 

1. What is your material for composing letters? 

2. What do you call groups of this material? 

3. What kind of words should you use? 

4. Why are so many letters not forceful? 

5. Why do proverbs live? 

6. What kind of sentences should you use? 

7. Of what value are figures of speech? 

8. What is the trouble with the phrases in most letters? 

9. What are the requirements of words, phrases, sentences, 
and paragraphs? 

10. Explain the construction of paragraphs? 

11. What induces action? 

12. How can you get a man to act right? 

13. What various stages of thought are necessary before 
you can secure action? 

14. How do you gain attention? 

15. How do you arouse interest? 

16. How do you create desire? 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 57 

17. What is it that really produces action? 
18.- How can you provide a clincher? 

19. What is personality? 

20. Why should you never neglect to use Mr., Mrs., Miss, 
Dr., Hon., Col., etc., according to the person addressed? 

Kinds of Letters 
There are many kinds of letters. For this course, the ex- 
ercises will be confined to the following list : 

1. Friendship 16. Official 

2. Social 17. Public 

3. Introduction 18. Promotion 

4. Congratulation 19. Asking Favors 

5. Condolence 20. Recommendation 

6. Postal Cards 21. Application 

7. Telegrams 22. Circular 

8. Cablegrams 23. Follow-Up 

9. Inquiry 24. Ordering Goods 

10. Notification 25. Making Complaints 

11. Remittance 26. Selling Goods 

12. Acknowledgment 27. Collecting Money 

13. Announcement 28. AdjustingComplaints 

14. Enclosure 29. Advertising 

15. Legal 30. Educational 

Letters of Friendship 
The friendship letter is selected for the first exercise as 
the student is probably more familiar with this style than 
with any other. In writing friendship letters, the "you-and- 
me" style finds ready application. The stilted, formal style 
should be avoided in all letters, but especially so in friendship 
letters. The using of unnecessary expressions and the stat- 
ing of self-evident facts should be guarded against. In the 
long ago, it was very common to find friendship letters be- 
ginning as follows: "I seat myself and take my pen in hand 
to write you a few lines to let you know that I am well and 
hope you are the same." However, such expressions are not 
often met with now, but others just as absurd are readily 
found. 



58 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

While friendship letters are a source of great pleasure, 
and add much to the joy of life, at times they cause a 
great deal of trouble. Failure to make one's meaning plain, 
blunders in the use of words, writing unwise things in confi- 
dence, are very productive of evil results. A young man 
once wrote in closing his letter to a lady friend, "/ hope tt 
will be a very long time before I hear from you agamy 
Needless to say it was a "long time" before he "heard," and 
much anguish of mind was experienced before it was dis- 
covered that he had neglected to place the little word "not" 
after the word "will." 

Much trouble and embarrassment is caused by the writ- 
ing of things in confidence that should never have been said. 
The student will learn a valuable lesson if he can be made to 
realize that there is no such thing as a "private letter." Every 
letter is a "public letter," and should be written after a style 
that were it published in the newspapers it would cause the 
writer no concern. Letters may lie hidden for years and 
then spring up to condemn the writer. 

No less distinguished person than the President of the 
United States once became a victim of such a circumstance. 
While in private life he wrote a friend (?) regarding a certain 
prominent character, and expressed a wish that some digni- 
fied way might be found by which the prominent character 
could be "knocked into a cocked hat." Later when the 
writer became a candidate for president, and a great friend 
of the aforesaid prominent character, imagine his embarrass- 
ment when this letter was published in all the newspapers. 
Fortunately, in this case, the prominent character proved a 
true friend, considered the matter a joke, and nothing more 
than embarrassment was the result. 

Exercise Six 

You may write for this exercise a friendship letter. Select 
some one with whom you are well acquainted, who lives in 
another city. Tell him you are taking a course in this school. 
Give all the items that you think would interest him. Especially 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 59 

mention the class in Letter Writing. Use your free, easy, 
entertaining style. Strive to avoid errors of every kind. 
Use your best penmanship. Don't forget to watch spelling 
and punctuation. Remember the margin and the paragraphs. 
Eternal vigilance is the price of excellence in Letter Writing, 
and the place to begin it is at the beginning. 

After you have written your letter, fold it according to 
the instructions for the tri-fold. Place it in a No. 6^ en- 
velope, properly addressed to your friend. Write your 
Name and Exercise 6 in the upper left-hand corner as in- 
dicated in the following illustration: 



YOUR NAME 
Exercise Six 










STAMP 




Mr. John A. Wilson. 

Green Bay, 

Vi scons in 







Do not seal the envelope. Merely tuck in the flap. If 
your letter is free from error, it will receive a "double check"; 
if not it will receive a "single check," and will be returned 
to be rewritten. The errors will be marked. See that they 
do not appear a second time. These instructions will apply 
to all the letters in the course, even though they are not 
mentioned. 

Social Letters 

Under the head of social letters may be placed the in- 
vitations and announcements of social gatherings and func- 
tions. Usually these are printed, and the writer needs only 



60 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

prepare the copy for the printer. There are two styles of 
writing invitations and announcements — formal and in- 
formal. The informal is the usual correspondence style; 
while in the formal style, the writer places all reference to 
himself in the third person. The following wedding invita- 
tion is an illustration of the formal style: 



tnotie uou to be present at ttje marriage 
of iljetr oaitgfyter 

•Eutl] 

to 

tEueshag, ^prtl imenig~itm% 

Nineteen fyunoreb attfr tmenty, at etgljt o'clock 

<3ftrst ^resb^tertan (Eljurco,, 

(©sljkoslj, pitsconsm. 



Exercise Seven 

For this exercise, prepare copy so you can have printed 
one hundred invitations for a birthday party that you are 
going to give at your home next Thursday, at 8. P. M. Use 
the formal style. 

Exercise Seven= A 

Assume that your seat mate or some one sitting near 
you has sent you an invitation to his birthday party. Write 
him a letter in a regular correspondence, or informal style, 
accepting with pleasure. . 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 61 

Exercise Seven* B 

Assume that some other student has sent you an invi- 
tation to be present at his birthday. Write him a letter 
declining. Express your regrets. Give some good excuse; as, 
previous engagement, illness, or that you will be out of the 
city. 

You may place the three letters in one envelope and ad- 
dress the envelope to your teacher. Remember your name 
and exercise number are to be placed in the upper left-hand 
corner of the envelope. 

Letters of Introduction 

Letters of introduction have a peculiar distinction, in that 
they are never mailed; they require no postage, and the 
envelope should not be sealed. A letter of introduction, 
as the name implies, is to introduce the bearer to the one 
addressed. It does not necessarily contain a recommenda- 
tion, though words of commendation are often used. In 
fact, one should not give a person whom he cannot recommend 
a letter of introduction. Care should be taken as to whom 
you introduce. By introducing an improper person to a 
business acquaintance, you may do the latter a great in- 
justice. 

Sometimes one is placed in an embarrassing position. 
You do not wish to refuse giving the letter; still you dislike 
having the person impose upon your friend. George Wash- 
ington was once in a similar position. A Frenchman for 
whom he did not entertain a very high opinion asked for a 
letter. He did not like to grant the letter, yet the diplomatic 
conditions of the country were such that he did not dare 
refuse. This is the way he met the issue: " This is to certify 
that G. Washington is well acquainted with C. Volney." 
The man could not very well find fault with the letter, yet 
no one need be deceived by it. 

' Exercise Eight 

Assume that a friend of yours is going to a city where 
you have an acquaintance, and you feel that it would be of 
mutual advantage for them to know each other. Of course, 



62 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

it would be too inconvenient for you to go along and per- 
sonally introduce them, so you write a letter of introduction 
to supply this need. You may construct your letter with 
the social end in view; or build it along business lines, just 
as you prefer. 

One thing remember, don't embarrass your friend by 
overpraising him. This often does as much injustice as 
failing to mention his real merits. 

Letters of Congratulation 

If a friend of yours has met with success or good fortune, 
and you rejoice in the fact, write and tell him so. Such a 
message is called a letter of congratulation. This letter 
should, of course, be written in a cheerful, lively style suited 
for the occasion. Anything unpleasant regarding yourself, 
and matters of advice should not be mentioned. Avoid 
stilted, or formal language; but express your pleasure in an 
easy, natural style. 

Exercise Nine 

Select some student who has recently left school to accept 
a good position, and write him a letter of congratulation 
expressing your pleasure at his success. Tell him that his 
good example has proved an inspiration to }^ou, and that you 
are determined to work harder than ever so as to be able to 
do as well as he has done. Use your happiest phrases and most 
entertaining style. 

Letters of Condolence 

The most difficult thing a person is ever called upon to 
write, is a letter of condolence. If you would write your 
friend a letter of sympathy in the hour of his bereavement 
or loss that will be of any benefit to him, you must actually 
feel that sympathy. It must spring from a full heart, or it 
will fail to accomplish its mission. Mere words and empty 
forms are cold and unsympathetic, and are better left un- 
written. Endeavor to show your friend that his sorrow 
has become your sorrow; for it is this kindred feeling that 
will lighten his burden. Never recall any of the details of the 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 63 

case, and do not offer reasons or argument why your friend 
should find consolation. Reasons appeal to the head but 
never to the heart. 

One of the rarest gems in the English Language is the 
following letter of sympathy written by Abraham Lincoln: 



Executive Mansion, 

Washington, D. C, Nov. 21, 1864 
To Mrs. Bixby, 

Boston, Mass. 

Dear Madam ; 

I have been shown in the flies of the War Department a state- 
ment of the adjutant general of Massachusetts that you are the mother 
of five sons who have died gloriously on the field of battle. I feel how 
weak and fruitless must be any words of mine which should attempt 
to beguile you from the grief of a loss so overwhelming. But I cannot 
refrain from tendering you the consolation that may be found in the 
thanks of the republic they died to save. 

I pray that our Heavenly Father may assuage the anguish of 
your breavement, and leave you only the cherished memory of the^ 
loved and lost, and the solemn pride that must be yours to have laid 
so costly a sacrifice upon the altar of freedom. 

Yours sincerely and respectfully, 

Abraham Lincoln. 



Genuine feeling for one afflicted is touchingly expressed 
in the following sentence which Louis Agassiz once wrote to 
his friend, Charles Summer: 



My dear Sumner: 




You have my deepest and truest silent sympathy. 




Ever truly your friend. 




Louis Agassiz. 



These few sincere words reflect a sentiment that must 
have gone straight to the heart of his friend. 

In the time of such a calamity as the earthquake at San 
Francisco, the fire at Chicago, or the floods in Ohio and 
Indiana, it adds materially to the expression of your sympathy 
to enclose a check. The following letter was sent to one of 
the flood sufferers at Dayton, Ohio: 



64 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 



Dear Friend: 

I feel that any word of mine will prove poor comfort to one who 
has passed through such suffering and loss; yet I can not refrain from 
offering you my most heartfelt sympathy. 

The calamity that has fallen upon your home is, indeed, hard 
to bear, yet I know the heroic spirit with which you have met the 
smaller trials of life will sustain in this trying' hour. 

I am enclosing a check for $25.00, which I hope you will accept 
in the same spirit in which it is given. If, however, you do not find 
yourself in need of it, pass it on with my compliments to some one who 
is more unfortunate. 

Now, if you can think of any way in which I can serve you, 
feel free to call upon me. 

Assuring you of my very best wishes. I remain, 
Your sincere friend, 



Exercise Ten 

For tnis exercise, the teacher will assign some event 
of recent date that will prove a worthy topic for a letter of 
condolence 

Postal Cards and Post Cards 

Since the picture post card came into common use, it is 
hard to realize the millions that pass through the mail every 
year. As the post card and postal card do not afford a means 
for privacy, care should be taken as to what is written thereon. 
Many foolish things appear on cards that no business build- 
ing young person can afford to send out over his signature. 
You should never ask for payment of an account on a postal 
card. This may be construed as libel. Any message that 
would cause the recipient the least embarrassment should 
be avoided in this style of correspondence. 
Exercise Eleven 

Assume that you have gone to some place for a visit. 
Write some good friend of yours at school a postal card, 
and tell him what a good time you are having. Cut a slip 
of typewriting paper, 3M X 5>2, for this purpose. This is 
the government standard size of a card. Place the address 
on one side and your message on the other. 

Telegrams 

Telegrams demand clearness, conciseness, and brevity. 
It is easy to be brief, but it is not so easy to be brief and 
clear at the same time. Telegraphy is getting to be such an 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 65 

important part of business that large firms are anxious to 
employ those who have the faculty of expressing a great deal 
in a few words. 

Telegraph companies have a minimum charge for ten 
words, and an extra charge for each additional word; so it 
is of no advantage to reduce your message to fewer words 
than ten. The charge will depend upon the distance and the 
transfers. Messages of fifty words filed in the evening to 
be delivered early next morning are called "night letters," 
and are sent at reduced rates. 

In sending telegrams, you are not charged for the address 
nor the signature, but the salutation and complimentary close 
are omitted. All figures and signs should be spelled out; 
thus, the number 15 should be written fifteen and the sign 
% should be written per cent. Initials in a name are charged 
for the same as one word, but there are certain abbrevia- 
tions that are accepted as one word; as, A. M., P. M., C. 0. D., 
0. K, and F. O. B. 

To economize in telegraphy, code systems are used. In 
this method, one word is made to mean a phrase, or even an 
entire sentence. Firms devise these code words and their 
meanings, arrange them in lists in alphabetical order, and 
send them to all with whom they wish to communicate. A 
person may receive ten meaningless words, take them to his 
code book, and write out quite a lengthy letter, all of which 
was sent at a minimum charge. Codes not only reduce 
expenses but insure privacy. 

Money as well as messages may be transferred by tele- 
graph. The charge is twenty-five cents for any number of 
dollars up to $25.00, and one per cent on all sums exceeding 
$25.00. Fractional parts of a dollar are not transferred. 
The telegram must be paid for in addition to the charge for 
the transfer of the money. 

Exercise Twelve 

Assume tha. you have ordered goods of some firm, and 
now on account of a fire that has destroyed your place of 
business, you wish to countermand the order. Confine your 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 



>L TELEGRAPH - COMMERCIAL CA 

TELEGRAM 



ISHff • 



' 



■ ■ 






POSTALTO.EGRAPH 



COMMERCIALCABLES 



CABLEGRAM 



WEST 
CAB 




UNION I 
RAM 



WBSTEH lN UNION 

telSam 




LETTER WETTING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 67 

message to ten words. If in doubt whether it will De un- 
derstood, ask some student to read it to see whether it makes 
sense. This is a wise precaution with all telegrams. Write 
a fifty word night letter. What will it cost to send your 
messages? 

Cablegrams 

As cablegrams cost as high as two dollars a word, it is 
necessary to send all messages by the code method. Even 
the address and signature are charged for. To reduce this 
expense, all firms doing business that calls for cablegrams 
have a registered code address; as, Remtico for Remington 
Typewriter Co., Nabisco for National Biscuit Co., etc.; and 
a firm is readily found by this apparently meaningless word. 

To illustrate the working of the code system, the follow- 
ing is given: 

CODE WORD MEANING 

Credo Please ship on your usual terms of credit. 

Quito Please quote us your best price for export on 

Fimdoz Five hundred dozen. 

Remten Remington Typewriter, No. 10 

Stanforks Standard knives and forks. 

Freeship Free on board ship, New York. 



Remington Typewriter Co., 








Illion, N. Y. 










Gentlemen : 










Please quote 
writer, No. 10; free 


us your best price for export on 
on board ship, New York. 


Remington Type- 








Yours very truly, 






• 




Harris Bros. 


& Co. 



By the use of our code, the message conveyed in this 
letter of forty words can be sent by the use of the following 

Remtico Quito Remten Freeship Harrisco. 

Complete information regarding cablegrams, code systems, 
and charges may be had by applying at any cable or telegraph 
office. 



68 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

Exercise Thirteen 

Write out an order to the Leonard Cutlery Co., Sheffield, 
England, whose code address is Lenco, for five hundred 
dozen Standard knives and forks; and reduce it to four code 
words. Manufacture a code word from your own name 
to use as the fifth word. Place both your letter ordering 
the goods and the cablegram on the same sheet of paper. 
Address the envelope in the usual style. 
Letters of Inquiry 

In conducting a business, it is often necessary to write 
letters asking for information as to the character, financial 
standing, and reliability of firms and individuals. These 
are called letters of inquiry. If you are writing such a letter 
you should enclose a stamped, self-addressed envelope for 
reply. If you are answering such a letter, you should be 
very careful what you say. While such letters are supposed 
to be confidential it is well to keep in mind what was said in 
discussing friendship letters. 

If you say that a firm, or an individual, is reliable, and 
events prove that the opposite is the case, you may cause 
some one who has relied upon your word to lose. If you say 
that a person is unreliable and he should chance to find it 
out, you may know there will be trouble. 

In speaking in behalf of anyone, it is well to say, "To my 
knowledge there is nothing that can be said against the 
reliability of the person you mention, From my observa- 
tion, he seems to be entirely trustworthy." Unless you 
wish to become a guarantor, it is not wise to use positive state- 
ments. When you are unable to recommend an individual, 
it is best not to mention his name, but to say, "I do not care 
to make any comments regarding the individual you mention." 
A few sensible precautions along this line will save you much 
annoyance. 

Exercise Fourteen 

You have been offered a position as bookkeeper or stenog- 
rapher with a firm in a near-by city, so you write a letter 
of inquiry to a bank in that place. Ask for information as 
to the financial standing of the firm and as to the treatment 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 69 

of the help. Assure the banker that his advice will be treated 
as strictly confidential. Enclose a slip of paper, 3^x6, ad- 
dressed to yourself with a mark indicating the stamp. Your 
enclosed envelope should be addressed on the typewriter, 
as somehow there is a prejudice against using envelopes 
that some one else has addressed with a pen. 
Letters of Notification 

Letters of notification are written when the attention of 
some individual is desired for a coming event. These are 
written by officers of societies, lodges, churches, corporations, 
and organizations of all kinds. Usually these letters follow 
some set style, though they may be varied to suit the occa- 
sion and the taste of the writer. Such letters should be 
written in plain, direct language, so all the points will stand 
out clear and distinct in the reader's mind. 
Exercise Fifteen 

Assume that you are the secretary of some society, and 
have been called on to send out notice of the annual meeting 
and election of officers which will be held at a certain place 
next Thursday evening at 8 o'clock. Address this letter to 
one of your school mates. 

Letters Enclosing Remittance 

Letters enclosing remittance require attention to certain 
details. A letter of this kind should always mention the 
manner in which the remittance is made, the amount, and 
the account to which it should apply. 

Checks, drafts, post office money orders, express money 
orders, postage stamps, notes, coin in cards, and paper money 
are used in making remittance. However, paper money 
should not be used except in very small sums. If paper 
is ever used, it should be registered. When checks or drafts 
are used, they should be made payable "to order." If 
identification is difficult and you wish to save the payee 
trouble, they may be made payable "to bearer," but one 
takes as much risk in sending such checks through the mail 
as in mailing paper money. 

Letters making remittance in full do not require much 
skill, but where you can only make remittance in part and 



70 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 



BUSINESS COLLEGE MONEY ORDER 
ADVICE no 



A MONEY ORDER OF ABOVE NUMBER AND DATE HAS BEEN DRAWN BY ME UPON YOUR OFFICE 
IN FAVOR OF 



FOR 



DOLLARS 



CENTS 




NAME OF REMITTER 



ADDRESS OF PAYEE. NO 



SPACE ABOVE TO BE FILLED IN WITH PEN AND INK 



E RECEIPT 

FOR 

* BUSINESS COL- 
x LEGE MONEY 
K ORDER 

K 

k DOLLARS CENTS 

- (Amount for which Issuep) 
£ To be given by 
3 the issuing post- 
o master to the pur. 
a chaser, who will re- 
(o tain same and pre- 
x sent it at the office 

* where issued if nec- 
u essary to make in- 
£ quiry regarding the 
u order. 



DATED STANP OP 
ISSUING OFFICE 



WHEN COUNTERSIGNED BY AGENT AT POINT0F ISSUE C" 4772700 



ONtv ORDTn SHOULD NOT,*»t/C*SH 



Pay on presentation to 
The Sum 



? (?£> or order 

ON PERSONAL IDENTIFICATION. 



Dollars 

OOLLAHS. 



*mtti£ 



#2 







ttnltap Natumal lank 



/^-<90- 




COLLEGE CURRENCY 



to First National College Bank, 

San Francisco, Cot. 






LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 



71 



To. of Check_^l 



i9^el 






■L brought forward 
m't Deposited 



m't of this Check 
dance in Bank 



^fCHTV. 



^<7Cr?A 



No. Z_ 



Cincinnati, Ohio,. 



^L 



•^J-y 



.19/^L 



Pay to the order of 



THE COMMERCIAL BANK 



CQ^, *sj6£Z.^,^%z~-£ 



"Dollars 



-K^ggZ 



■&csl--£<>~??+S . 



must ask for an extension of time on the balance, more 
thought and tact are needed in the preparation of the letter. 
Promptness in meeting your bills is the first insurance policy 
you hold against failure as a business builder. Next to 
actually paying your bills is the habit of immediately mak- 
ing proper arrangements for an extension of the time in cases 
where you need it. This practice will do much to strengthen 
your credit and will build for you a reputation of reliability. 
Exercise Sixteen 

Assume that you owe some firm in your city $126.15, 
which is now due; and that you can make part payment only. 
Write them a check for $26.15, and a sixty day note, bearing 
6% interest, for $100.00. Express your regrets at not be- 
ing able to pay the account in full. Thank them for accept- 
ing the note, and for past favors extended you. Assure 
them the note will be met promptly when due. 
Letters of Acknowledgment 

It is customary when you receive a remittance or an order 
for goods to write at once a letter of acknowledgment. 
This letter gives the sender of money the satisfaction of 
knowing that his remittance has been received, and it also 
acts as a receipt for the payment of the debt. 

A letter of acknowledgment is also needed to complete 
a contract when goods are ordered. If you fail to acknowl- 
edge an order, it may be countermanded at any time before 
delivery; as an order for goods does not become a legal con- 
tract until acknowledged. You can readily see that where 
a letter of acknowledgment is neglected, a firm might be 
made to suffer considerable loss and inconvenience if the 
order were countermanded. 



72 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

Letters of acknowledgment are very simple and easy to 
construct, yet if given a little extra attention, they may be 
made to aid very materially in business building. 
Exercise Seventeen 

Assume that you have been given a position as bookkeeper, 
stenographer, and correspondent with a local grocery or 
crockery store. Mrs. Hiram Johnson of some near-by town 
has sent in an order for a one hundred piece dinner set with a 
green figure, a set that the store has been advertising exten- 
sively. Mrs. Johnson says she must receive these dishes 
by next Wednesday as she wishes to use them at the cele- 
bration of her twenty-fifth wedding anniversary. Assure 
her that the set will arrive in time. Indicate the manner of 
shipment. Congratulate her on her wedding anniversary. 
Thank her for the order — this should be mentioned first in 
the letter. Invite her to show the dishes to her neighbors 
as they are considered a special bargain. Express the hope 
that you will receive her future orders. Let your letter be 
a cordial, business-building message. 

Letters Making Announcements 

Letters containing announcements are used both for 
social and business purposes. Instead of issuing wedding 
invitations, announcements are often used. The following 
is the usual form of wedding announcements: 

fix. •Hltllfam ^ £forris 

fix** jknxm 2JL ^ 

finxxxtb 

tEnoshag, %\xnt tfaentg.ftfuriif, 
nvattttn fjnnhrefr intenty 

tEljnrshag, £ax$\xst Jienentlj anh ^ourteerctff 

(&nt Ijnnhreh ntneig Jnro Saratoga ^Sxtxuxe 

J5an Jgne, ffii&tan&xn 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 73 

In business, the opening of a store or a special sale is an 
opportunity for a letter of announcement. These letters 
when written by a master letter writer can be made very 
interesting and attractive. 

Exercise Eighteen 

Imagine that you are opening a place of business and 
wish to send out letters announcing the fact. Select some 
friend and write him such a letter. Tell him about your 
business, how you plan to make it the leading establishment 
of its kind; and that you have adopted for your motto, "Per- 
fect Satisfaction or Money Returned." Invite him to visit 
your place on a certain day to receive a flower or souvenir 
of some kind. .Make this letter a real, live, business getter. 
Remember, how you must get attention, arouse interest, 
and create desire that he should call. Don't let him forget 
the date. Force into his mind that you intend to make 
genuine service to your customers your highest aim. 
Letters with Enclosures 

A very large number of catalogs, folders, and advertising 
circulars pass through the mails and are never read. Often 
they are not even looked at. To prevent this, the wise busi- 
ness builder will write such a letter to accompany the en- 
closure, whether under the same or separate cover, as will 
create in the mind of the recipient a desire to read the cata- 
log or booklet. We are all victims of curiosity. It is one 
of the strongest human instincts. The successful mail order 
man is the one who can take advantage of this mental tend- 
ency and use it to his profit. He will have some scheme that 
will get the reader to look at once on page 8 or 15 or 23 to 
read some attractive offer. 

Exercise Nineteen 

You have issued a forty-page catalog for the business 
you announced in exercise eighteen. A friend has written for 
one. Send it with a letter calling his attention to special 
offers you are making on pages 14 and 26. Do not reveal 
what it is, but tell him it is something in which you know 
he will be greatly interested. Tell him there are other at- 



74 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

tractive things on other pages which you have not the space 
to mention. Make certain that one of your catalogs will 
never go into the waste basket unnoticed, or on some shelf 
to be forgotten, but will be read at once. 

Get from some local establishments a number of catalogs 
and circulars and criticise them in class. 

Legal Letters 

In speaking of Legal letters, we refer to the correspondence 
of lawyers and judges. Their letters are peculiar in that their 
terms are technical, and the style set and formal. To be a 
successful writer of legal letters, one must study law. Legal 
letters are written regarding law suits, collections, contracts, 
and business in which lawyers are concerned. 

Commercial law treats of the rules that govern the great 
game of business. You are planning to be a player in this 
game — so learn the rules. Study diligently your textbook 
on this subject. In building business, you will often need 
to consult law books and lawyers. Many a man has seen 
his business go to ruin because he failed to understand the 
legal rules that controlled his affairs. 

Exercise Twenty 

Assume that you are a stenographer for a well-known 
lawyer in your town. He must leave on business, and has 
asked you to answer a letter regarding a law suit. Mr. James 
Jackson wishes to bring suit against his neighbor, Henry 
Wilson, for diverting a creek, causing it to overflow and 
damage Mr. Jackson's crops and property. Mr. Wilson 
refuses to make settlement. Write Mr. Jackson, addressing 
him at some near-by town, and tell him that he has a good 
case, and there is no doubt that the court will award him 
ample damages. Tell him it is customary in a case like 
this for the client to advance $25.00 to meet the court charges 
and expenses, and when he has sent you this amount you will 
file the necessary papers to bring action at once. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 75 

Official Letters 

Official letters are those written by the officers of the 
government in transacting the business of the state and 
nation. They are usually written in a dignified, formal style. 
Close attention must be given to see that the proper title is 
used, as well as a suitable salutation and complimentary 
close. Inferior officers must always address their superiors 
in a manner to indicate the difference in rank. Students 
planning to enter the government service should seek special 
advice and instruction as to these points and distinctions. 
Exercise Twenty=one 

You have been appointed private secretary for the con- 
gressman from your district. One of your neighbors whom 
you know to be greatly interested in politics has written to 
ask that your congressman vote for a certain measure. TJie 
teacher will assign some current bill that is before congress. 
You write that your chief is greatly in favor of this bill and 
will be delighted to please his old friend by voting for it. 
While this is not supposed to be a business-building letter, 
it can be made a "job-holding" letter. Unless a congressman 
can appeal favorably to his constituents, he can not hope 
for re-election; and if he is not re-elected, you will lose your 
position as private secretary. Many congressmen and sen- 
ators owe their long careers in a large measure to the wis- 
dom and letter-writing ability of their private secretaries. 
See that no letter of yours will ever cause a government 
official to have trouble in holding his office. (Do you think 
that "job-holding" is ever the first interest of some of our 
representatives?) 

Public Letters 

Public letters are those written for the purpose of being 
published in the newspapers. They are usually addressed 
to the editor or some public man. This form of writing is 
used because it renders the article more personal, and enables 
the writer to use a style that is not so set and formal. Public 
letters are written on almost every topic imaginable. In fol- 
lowing those that appear in the newspapers, you will find 



76 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

articles of all degrees of merit. Some are very interesting 
and attractive, while others are positively painful to read. 

Good taste and wisdom would suggest that you write 
public letters only on such topics as will promote the welfare 
of the community, or prove of general interest. 

Exercise Twenty=two 

The teacher will assign a topic for a public letter to be 
written to the editor of your local paper. The need of a 
public library, a Y. M. C. A., a playground for the children, 
a manual training school, a county fair, a city park, and 
kindred subjects give opportunity for letters of this kind. 

Your copy for the printer should be typewriten if possible. 
This will enable you to see how it will look in print. It will 
also make it easier for you to discover the short-comings of your 
article. See that your spelling, punctuation, and paragraph- 
ing are above criticism. You may sign your own name or 
use an assumed name; but if you use an assumed name, you 
must also give your proper name and address. Otherwise 
the editor will refuse to publish your communication. 

Promotion Letters 

Promotion letters are written on any undertaking which 
the writer may wish to see move forward. Usually this is the 
name given to letters written by some one striving to estab- 
lish a factory or organize a corporation. When an enter- 
prise is too large to be financed by one individual, he must 
interest others in aiding him to carry out his plans. 

The writer of promotion letters has two strong human 
instincts on which to play — civic pride and desire for gain; 
and if he is a master in working upon these motives, he need 
not want for capital to promote any meritorious enterprise. 
Many a worthy invention would be lost to the world today 
had it not been for the efforts of some efficient promoter. 
This is a very necessary and valuable line of effort, and the 
student will do well to cultivate his powers in writing an 
effective promotion letter. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 77 

Exercise Twenty =three 

You desire to promote a corporation for the purpose of 
manufacturing some product which you may select. Capital 
stock is to be $100,000, divided into shares of $10.00 each, 
with no certificate issued for less than ten shares. The stock 
is divided into two lots: $70,000 in common stock and 
$30,000 in preferred stock. The preferred stock is accumula- 
tive and participating, paying a 6% dividend. We mean by 
accumulative that if the 6% dividend is not paid one year, 
the next year the dividend is 12% instead of 6%, and by 
participating, that the preferred stockholder will also share 
with the common stockholder in the balance of the dividend. 
Thus you see that preferred stock is the kind which gives the 
holder special rights and privileges in the matter of dividends, 
and is issued for the purpose of getting people to invest 
early that funds may be provided so a start can be made in 
the business. In your case the $30,000 will enable 
you to begin your business; but you will need the $70,000 to 
properly expand and develop it. 

Address your promotion letter to some well known in- 
vestor in your town, and attempt to interest him in your 
proposition. Appeal to his civic pride. Show him how this 
factory will work for the betterment of your city, the num- 
ber of people to whom it will give employment, and the in- 
creased trade it will mean to every business man. Appeal 
to his desire for gain. Show him how this investment will 
increase his income. Offer him the preferred stock. Re- 
mind him that banks pay only 3%, yet you offer double that, 
with an opportunity to participate in the balance of the 
dividend with the common stockholders which may increase 
his income to 10% or 15%. Assure him that the proposition 
is a winner, that it will be carefully organized and honestly 
conducted. Explain everything very fully, be clear and frank 
in all that you say. An expression that is the least hazy may 
cause suspicion and drive him away instead of attracting him 
to your enterprise. 



78 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

Remember, in constructing your letter, you must get his 
favorable attention with your very first statement, and you 
can't do that by saying something about your plans. Be- 
gin by asking him some question that will appeal to his 
wants and desires. Attempt for a while to look through his 
eyes — to see things as he does. Then you will get his atten- 
tion, and if you continue you will get his interest. Work 
properly upon his motives and you will arouse desire. Now, 
you are ready to talk business and get action. 
Letters Asking Favors 

Letters asking favors require courtesy as their chief es- 
sential. They should also have a stamped, self-addressed 
envelope for reply. The variation of letters asking for 
favors is limited only by human desires. They may be writ- 
ten with every conceivable end in view. 

Exercise Twenty=four 

You are now a graduate of this school and wish to apply 
for a position. You need a letter of recommendation. Write 
some business man of your city with whom you are well ac- 
quainted and ask for such a letter. Enclose a stamped, self- 
addressed envelope as directed in exercise fourteen. 

Letters of Recommendation 

Letters of recommendation are given to worthy people 
that they may gain the confidence of others. This being true, 
see to it that only w r orthy people receive such letters from 
you. To consider the points mentioned in exercise number 
eight, w r ill be helpful at this time. 

Letters of recommendation may be given as an endorse- 
ment of persons or of things. They may be addressed to a 
particular person, or to the general public. In the latter case, 
the salutation should read, "To Whom It May Concern." 
In preparing letters of this kind, consider well the points to 
be covered and then state them in a straight, vigorous style. 
Avoid high sounding compliments, but indicate all the points 
of interest and merit. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 79 

Exercise Twenty=five 

For this exercise, you may write a general letter of rec- 
ommendation expressing your sentiments regarding the value 
of the course in "Letter Writing for the Business Builder." 
Use for the salutation, "To Whom It May Concern." Point 
out such features as seem to you helpful and inspiring. 
Letters of Application 

The passport to a good position is a well written letter of 
application. Business men consider it a splendid guide in the 
selection of help. From it can be determined the character, 
ability, and education of the applicant. A business man 
will read more than just the words in a letter; he will read in 
between the lines; he will even read the margins. 

The education of the applicant is indicated by the spelling, 
punctuation, and construction of the sentences; his ability, 
by the judgment he displays in the material he offers for con- 
sideration; and his habits and character, by the quality of 
stationery, arrangement, and appearance of his letter. A 
cheap person will use cheap stationery; a careless, filthy 
person will leave thumb prints on the margin, blots and blurs 
on the paper; a thoughtless person will make errors, scratch 
them out, fill in the correction, and go on; and an unreliable 
person will show it in weak and wavering penmanship. 

Your letter of application is merely a pen picture of your- 
self. If you would have others receive a good picture of your- 
self, use high grade stationery, strong black ink, and a pen 
that will make a clear, decided line. Write with a vigorous 
stroke, use spelling, punctuation, and grammar with which 
no fault can be found, and judgment and tact in expressing 
your qualifications that will command attention and win 
confidence. If the least thing can be found to detract from 
the appearance of your letter, re-write it until that fault no 
longer appears. 

In selecting your writing material, never use hotel station- 
ery. Few people applying for positions can afford to stop 
at hotels. Hotel stationery will lead the business man to 
conclude that you are a "poacher." Never use pool room, 



80 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

billiard hall, or bowling alley stationery, or the business man 
will conclude that you are a "loafer." Needless to say, you 
will be entirely out of the running when he reaches either 
conclusion. Never use stationery with a monogram, initial, 
or name die at the top; for whatever they may be worth 
socially, they are more than useless in business correspondence. 

In the style of constructing the letter, there are many 
mossgrown traditions to be shattered. One at the beginning 
is, "I have seen your advertisement in today's Herald, and 
I take the liberty of applying for the position". Consider how 
useless and absurd is this sentence. The business man knows 
that he put that "ad" in the paper, and it is entirely unnec- 
essary for you to tell him that you saw it. You wouldn't 
be applying if you hadn't seen it. And how perfectly absurd 
to say that you "take the liberty of applying for the position," 
when he paid out his good money to get you to do that very 
thing. 

Omit all prelude, and begin your letter with a direct in- 
vitation for him to consider your qualifications. The follow- 
ing is suggestive as to the manner in which this should be 
done: "Dear Sir: Will you please consider the following 
qualifications to see whether they meet the requirements for 
a position as bookkeeper in your office?" Other sentences 
even more simple and direct may be used, but avoid all re- 
marks that do not bear directly upon your qualifications. 

What are the qualifications and necessary information 
that a business man wishes to have before him in a letter of 
application? They may differ in different cases, but the 
following list includes all the points necessary for any posi- 
tion: 

1. Age 7. Habits 

2. Gender 8. Disposition 

3. Single or married 9. Characteristics 

4. Nationality 10. Physical Description 

5. Education 11. Salary 

6. Experience 12. References 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 81 

If you are applying for an office position, it is always of 
advantage to mention your age if between eighteen and 
thirty years; but if you are under eighteen or over thirty, 
it is well not to state your age unless requested to do so. It 
is, also, necessary to say whether you are a man or woman. 
In some positions, a man is demanded; while in others, a 
woman is preferred. 

For a man to mention whether he is married or single will 
depend upon circumstances. If you are married, it is wise 
to mention the fact when trying to get a higher salary. Em- 
ployers understand that a married man cannot live at so low 
a cost as a single one. Also, a married man is considered 
a little more settled and reliable. However, the single man 
has the advantage with firms that wish to keep down ex- 
penses; for they know they can usually hire him at a less 
price. If you are a single young man and are anxious to get 
a position, it is well to say so if you are more than twenty- 
two. But if you should say, "I am a young man, 17 years 
of age, and unmarried," it would cause a laugh. The last 
statement is so unnecessary as to be absurd. 

It is well to mention your nationality if you can speak an- 
other language besides English. In the proper locality, it 
is of great advantage to say that you can speak German, or 
French, or Scandinavian, or Spanish. Where you can speak 
only the English language, it is of little value to mention your 
nationality. 

The business man wants to know the extent of your edu- 
cation. If you can say you are a high school or college gradu- 
ate, as well as a graduate of a good business college, you have 
gone a long way in developing an interest in your application. 
If you have taken a good correspondence course in "higher 
accounting/ ' or a special course in office training, it will act 
as a strong "clincher" to your appeal. The more of these 
attainments you can mention, the more readily will it be 
inferred that you are a wide awake, intelligent, progressive 
young person. If your prospective employer is convinced 



82 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

that you are such a person — that }^ou are the best person 
for the place — you will be the successful applicant. 

In addition to your schooling, be sure to mention all the 
experience you have had; especially if your experience is of 
the kind which shows that you are not afraid of work. There 
are two essentials to one's equipment for a position — "book- 
learning" and "business sense." It is surprising how gradu- 
ates of universities and colleges will sometimes make the most 
absurd blunders in simple business transactions. Because 
of this, unthinking people are led to denounce higher educa- 
tion. It matters not how brilliant you may be in your books, 
you will be of small value until you develop your "business 
sense." While this depends to a certain extent upon your 
"book learning" and your natural ability, it is in a large 
measure developed by experience. Beginning at the bot- 
tom and working up, is the only known way of acquiring 
"business sense." 

In speaking of habits, we refer to the use of tobacco and 
intoxicants, and other common vices. If you can say, "My 
habits are not of the kind to subject me to the least criticism," 
or that "I do not use tobacco or liquor in any form," you will 
have the advantage of those who do not mention the subject. 
Large business firms have now clearly demonstrated that the 
young man who uses tobacco or liquor is usually not so 
reliable, efficient, and capable as the young man who does 
not indulge in these habits. In some way the young man 
who has formed these habits has shut the door of inspiration. 
He seems to be unable to realize, and live up to his full pos- 
sibilities. His energies become dead and he ceases to throb 
with life and power. When the contest becomes keen and 
the strain becomes hard, he is forced to drop out. No one 
understands this better than the employer of help. So don't 
fail to mention it if you are free to run the race without this 
handicap. 

If you can say, "I am of a pleasant, cheerful disposition,! 
and have no aversion to working over-time when necessary," 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 83 

you will need give no further consideration to the subject of 
disposition. 

In speaking of characteristics, we refer to the use of such 
words, as industry, reliability, loyalty, accuracy, and punc- 
tuality. If you can honestly say, "I am accurate, industrious, 
and reliable, and can prove myself loyal to my employers' in- 
terests at all times", by all means say it, even if you copy 
this very expression. 

In positions where a physical description is required, 
mention your height, and color of hair and eyes. This, 
however, is seldom needed in applying for an office position. 

Whether you should mention the amount of salary desired 
will depend on the circumstances. Where you are an ex- 
perienced, efficient workman, and have confidence in your 
ability, it is well to state exactly what you want; but with 
inexperienced young people, it is well to pass this matter 
with some such expression as the following: "As to salary, 
I shall be glad to leave that to your judgment for the first 
few months, until I demonstrate my worth." It must be 
remembered that young people are sadly lacking in "busi- 
ness sense," and until they pass this stage they cannot ex- 
pect to dictate as to their salaries. 

References are the last thing to be given. They should 
not even be placed in the body of the letter, but should be 
used as a postscript. Write the word, "References," and 
the names and addresses of the persons you wish to give in 
the lower, left-hand corner. Two or three will be sufficient, 
and it is unnecessary to make any comment upon them. 
Your references should be the last thing mentioned because 
the business man wishes to weigh well what you have to say 
about yourself before he considers what others may say about 
you. If his opinion is unfavorable, he does not care what 
the opinion of others may be. When his own opinion is good, 
then — and not till then — will he desire to know whether others 
hold the same view. If you have letters of recommendation, 
it is better to reserve them until you gain a personal interview, 
It is not wise to use all your ammunition at the first attack. 



84 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

Your letter of application should consist solely of these 
twelve points, or such of them as may be applicable to your 
case. You must present them as your reasons why the busi- 
ness man should employ you. Don't say, "I feel as though 
I could make a success of this work." The business man 
doesn't care anything about your feelings. He wants rea- 
sons — real ones — just why you are suited for this position; 
and all you have to offer is a discussion, clear and clean-cut, 
of the qualities you possess. 

Don't say, "If a personal interview is desired, I shall be 
glad to call," for of course no business man would think of 
employing a young person without first talking to him. In 
closing say, "May I have the pleasure of a personal interview 
at a time most convenient to you?" 

Do not ask questions regarding the position as to duties 
or length of hours. Wait until you secure the place, and then 
ask some assistant. One young man applying for a position 
as salesman wrote, "How long would I have to be away from 
home?" He lost the job. 

In applying for positions where penmanship is not an es- 
sential, it is quite to your advantage to have your letter of 
application type-written. It is more easily read, and it seems 
to indicate that you are more of a business person. But- if 
you are seeking an office position, business men invariably 
demand that "applicant apply in own hand-writing." 
Exercise Twenty=six 

Mr. Thomas H. Jones, a foreman of a large plant in your 
own, or a near-by city, has informed you that they need in 
the office of this firm a stenographer and assistant bookkeeper. 
You prepare a letter of application along the lines indicated 
in the foregoing article. 

Now, remember, this is a "job- winning" letter. After 
you have written it, read it over to see if you can feel the thrill. 
Be honest — would you give the young person who wrote you 
such a letter a position? If you can sincerely say, "Yes," 
no doubt you have qualifications that will influence the busi^ 
ness man in the same way. 




LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 85 

Circular Letters 

Circular letter is the name applied to one that is prepared 
to be duplicated and mailed to a number of people. It may 
range in quantity from a comparatively small number up to 
hundreds of thousands. Usually, these letters are run off 
on such machines as the Multigraph or Writerpress; though 
they are sometimes set up in black-face or imitation type- 
writing type, and run off on a printing press. Machines that 
produce typewriter-imitation letters provide for the use of 
name plates, which gives the appearance of personal letters. 
Circular letters may be used on any subject that would in- 
terest more than one person. 

Exercise Twenty=seven 

You desire a position with a firm where you will have 
charge of the correspondence. At the present time you do 
not know of such a vancancy. Select the names of ten firms 
where you think they could use an expert at Letter Writing, 
and prepare copy for a circular letter to be mailed them. 
This may be modeled largely after the instructions given for 
a letter of application, though it must be varied to suit the 
above conditions. 

In addition to mentioning your qualifications, you may 
use arguments to show the value of this work. You may, 
also, ask for a salary of so many dollars a week and a com- 
mission of two per cent on all sales you make through the mail 
order department. 

Are you intensely confident as to what may be accom- 
plished by the use of business-winning letters? Do you really 
feel that business letters are the greatest implements of trade? 
If you do, be sure that you make these firms to whom you write 
feel the same way. The way in which you affect them will 
be a sample of the way you can affect others. 

In this letter, you can afford to use a much freer style 
than you could in applying for any other kind of position. 
Put in all the catchy material and little tricks that can be 
made to fit. Make your style as striking and attractive as 



86 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

possible. There is no hope for you if your letter is a "dead 
one/' so make it sparkle with life and power. 
Follow=up Letters 

A follow-up letter is one used to call attention to a previous 
letter to which you failed to get a response. It is the most 
elastic of any letter on our list. Its use is confined to no one 
business, or class of business. It is universal. Wherever 
men desire to educate the public as to their wares; wherever 
sales are to be made, information secured, money collected, 
distant customers to be "gingered up" — there the follow-up 
can be utilized. 

The immense value of a scientific follow-up system is 
seldom appreciated, and only slightly understood by a large 
majority of business men. They see some one use it to great 
advantage; and then others try it and fail. Therefore, they 
conclude that there must be some mystery about it, and that 
success with it is a matter of chance or luck. However, 
the truth is quite to the contrary; for there is no mystery, 
nor luck, nor chance about it. Every one who succeeds with 
a follow-up system does so because he works in harmony 
with a scientific principle whether he knows it or not. And 
it is very simple too. 

First, it consists in preparing a series of letters with one 
central thought prevading and connecting the whole group. 

Second, it follows out the principles set forth in the article 
entitled "Psychological Construction. " 

Third, the letters gradually become stronger until they 
reach a climax. The great trouble with so many follow-up 
systems is that they begin strong but gradually weaken. 
Beware of the anti-climax. It is a fatal weakness in follow 
up letters. 

Fourth, the system of follow-ups should be in harmony 
with the conditions of the business for which they are used. 

Many business men do not seem to understand that a 
system of follow-ups suitable for a big stock-promotion cam- 
paign would meet with no success whatever when used by 
a grocery store. In fact, a grocery store once attempted 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 87 

to use the methods of a very successful real estate campaign, 
and actually lost business by it. Not only did they lose their 
labor, stationery and postage, but they had less trade at the 
end of their campaign than they had when they began. The 
reason is very apparent. People did not have to rush in 
and buy groceries because of an appeal in a letter; but they 
did have to rush in and buy a lot if they were going to get 
one in that addition before they were all sold. They resented 
the importunity of the grocer, and went elsewhere to trade; 
but with the lot — they realized it was now or never. 

Follow-up systems are divided into three classes; and 
while they are spoken of by various names — in this course 
they are called continuous, special, and definite. 

Continuous follow-up systems find their proper application 
in the retail and wholesale business. Just as in these lines 
the business is steady, year in and year out, so should there 
be a steady flow of letters regarding the goods to be sold 
and the service to be rendered. These letters are not built 
on the strenuous plan to get immediate action. They are more 
like newspaper advertisements, only they are vastly superior 
when well written, in that they carry a personal message. 

Not only are retailers and wholesalers benefited by con- 
tinuous follow-up systems, but they are just as helpful to 
banks, hotels, restaurants, laundries, railroads, lumbermen, 
printers, publishers, and manufacturers. 

Special follow-up systems require an opportunity in order 
to be successful. You cannot arrange a special follow-up 
campaign unless you have an unusual condition. If you 
have a desirable tract of land which you wish to cut up into 
city lots, you have a special opportunity. Such things do 
not come every day, so you can write your follow-up argu- 
ments in a much more vigorous and strenuous style than 
you could ever think of doing with a continuous system. 
You can make people feel that they must act at once — that 
delay will be expensive — that opportunities lost are gone 
forever. 



88 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

The special follow-up system lends itself just as readily 
to the sale of stocks and bonds, limited products, seasonable 
goods, and publishers' advance offers. 

A special follow-up campaign should consist of a series 
of six or eight letters, and each one should grow more intense 
than the previous ones. In some cases four letters are much 
better than eight, as stringing out the arguments tends to 
weakness rather than strength. The amount of the vital 
and important material to be used must determine the length 
of the series. However, it matters not what the number, 
one thing certain for success is that the last letter shall be 
stronger than any that preceded it. 

Definite follow-up systems do not require a special con- 
dition to make them effective. They are used when you have 
a definite end in view that you wish to reach. This is well 
illustrated in trying to sell a prospective student a scholar- 
ship. After selling him the scholarship, your system is at 
an end; for you cannot sell him another. You have accom- 
plished a definite purpose; hence the reason for calling this 
style a definite follow-up system. 

The number of letters under a definite follow-up system 
would, indeed, be hard to estimate. While some prospects 
could be enrolled with two or three letters, others would 
require a large number. Some progressive school men 
never give up a prospect where they think they have any 
chance until he is either enrolled, married, or dead. 

You can see how a definite follow-up system will apply to 
the sale of a piano, a calculating machine, a cash register, a 
typewriter, an automobile, a phonograph, an engine, books, 
and specialties of all kinds. It can be used to excellent ad- 
vantage by schools, publishers, manufacturers, insurance 
companies, telephone companies, and electric light companies. 

The following is an outline of a series of follow-up letters 
used by a business school : 

Subject in general; reliability of our school. 

First letter: What we can do for you. We prove it. 

Second letter: Why we can do so much for you. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 89 

Third letter: What we have done for others. (Folder en- 
closed.) 

Fourth letter: If necessary we can help you to be self- 
supporting while in school. 

Fifth letter: What you can do after graduation. 

Sixth letter: Now is the time to enroll. (Blank enclosed.) 

Seventh letter: Mention points made in preceding letters, 
attractions which the city has to offer. 

Eighth letter: When you qualify we feel sure that we can 
find you a position in the business world. Emphasize at- 
tractiveness of a place in the business world. 

This series has proved unusually effective, and the school 
is building up a business of immense proportions through 
this follow-up system. 

Letter Writing of this style depends for its success on the 
use of cold, hard facts. The truth, reliable goods, and fair 
dealing will build up business; while without them, the 
cleverest letter will fail. See how strong the letters of the 
school become when they tell about the absolute reliability 
of the school — how the student can soon save sufficient funds 
from his salary, after he is employed, to pay for his schooling — 
how the school is willing to guarantee satisfaction or refund 
the money. If you can make these appeals, — and are willing 
to live up? to them — you can win confidence and make your 
small business grow into a large one. 

Then, too, remember that you are dealing with human 
nature, and that human nature is variable. If one argument 
will not appeal to a man, another may. The following taken 
from "System" well illustrates the point: 

One Wednesday morning a storekeeper in Southern 
Texas was leisurely going through his mail. Letters were 
glanced at, and thrown aside. Suddenly one seemed to 
hold his attention. He adjusted his glasses, re-read the 
letter carefully, and then slowly dropped it into the waste 
paper basket. Five minutes later, he went back and picked 
it up, smoothed it out, and read it over again thoughtfully, 
and laid it away in his desk. That evening as he and his 



90 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

wife sat by the lamplight and watched their little boy play- 
ing with his blocks on the floor, he reached into his pocket, 
drew out the letter, and laying it on the table said, "Jeannette, 
I am going to buy one of those cash registers". 

The silence that ensued was broken by the woman's voice : 
"Ezra, they cost a lot of money". 

His answer was immediate : "But I must have one. I don't 
want my boy to be a thief, and I don't want to make any 
other man's boy to be a thief. Give me the pen and ink." 

And while he was making out an order for the cash register, 
his wife was reading the opening paragraph of the letter that 
had made the sale: 

"If some man made your boy a thief — " 

"Feeling as you do about your own child, why do you 
leave that open, unprotected cash drawer ir, front of your 
clerks — other men's boys? They know you have no check 
on your cash, and if one of them steals who, is to blame?'* 

This particular merchant had been called on and dem- 
onstrated to by a dozen different cash register salesmen. 
He had been listed as an unlikely prospect. One time the 
company's star salesman had spent a day with this merchant. 
He made the most appealing solicitation of which he was 
capable, yet his man remained unmoved. His attitude was 
so discouraging that when the salesman enteied his name on 
the daily report sheet, two big black letters went opposite 
it — "N. G." The human salesman had set his man down 
as impossible to sell. 

The follow-up machinery of this cash register company 
grinds exceedingly fine. Good, bad, and indifferent — all 
go into the hopper, for the advertising system of this company 
has but one motto: "Every man can be sold. We are 
going to sell every one." 

The letter that made this sale was the twentieth the 
merchant had received, but it touched the right button at 
the right time and forth came an order. And the simple, 
unassuming follow-up which does the seemingly impossible, 
in a quiet, modest sort of way, is based on that very thing. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 91 

The right kind of follow-up is bound some day to touch the 
right chord — approach the prospect from the right angle — 
and get the order. 

Exercise Twenty=eight 

While the follow-up has been used with great success 
by business men, it seems that those seeking employment 
rarely give it a trial. If they receive no answer to their first 
letter of application, they give up, and then sit down and 
lament the hardness of their fate. There is no reason in the 
world why anyone, in this land of ours, should go without 
employment — save absolute incompetency in every line 
of human endeavor and a lack of appreciation of follow-up 
letters. Why can't a young person seeking a position take 
advantage of his opportunities the same as a business 
man, and bombard employers with follow-up letters un- 
til he does get a job? Business firms are constantly on the 
lookout for young men and women who show business traits, 
and certainly this would indicate business ability of a high 
order. 

For this exercise, assume that you have waited about ten 
days and have received no reply to your letter of applica- 
tion you wrote in Exercise 26. It may be that the position 
is already filled, or they are still debating the question. If 
the position is filled, you may think your letter wasted — but 
not so. Many a position has been filled with those who did not 
satisfy and a change had to be made. Think what your 
follow-up letter would mean to some employer fretting over 
an unsatisfactory stenographer. Even if the one who re- 
ceived the position did satisfy, most business men would make 
an extra effort to find a position for a young person who 
showed such enterprise. 

However, if the place is not filled — think what deciding 
power your letter will throw into the scales. There can be 
no defeat — no turn down — for the young person who is armed 
with a series of follow-up letters giving good reasons why a 
business man should hire him. 



92 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

In this exercise, tell the employer that you have waited 
some time but you are still without a reply to your letter 
of application. Tell him that you are anxious for an inter- 
view, and believe, if granted one, you can prove to him the 
statements set forth in your previous letter, and absolutely 
satisfy him as to your qualifications for the position. 
Letters Ordering Goods 

The key note in letters ordering goods is exactness. The 
fewer words you can use the better — but you must make 
every word count. In an article on the qualities of a good 
business, exactness is defined as attention to details. 

In ordering goods, care should be taken that the correct 
amount or quantity is written, and the number given if the 
order is made up from a catalog. If payment accompanies 
the order, the manner of remittance should be indicated. If 
you enclose money, check, draft, post office money order, 
express money order, or stamps, it should be mentioned and 
the amount stated. If credit is desired, proper arrangements 
should be made. 

Complete shipping instructions should be given — whether 
by express or freight. If by express — what express company; 
if by freight — what railroad. When shipments are large and 
transportation by water is possible, it will be necessary to 
mention the steamship line. If the shipment is small, you 
may ship by parcel post instead of express. 

It is customary, though not necessary, to express your 
thanks for prompt shipment. In these days of business 
building, most firms are so anxious to please that they need 
no urging to be prompt with their shipments. 
Exercise Twenty=Nine 

Assume that you live ten miles in the country. You 
wish to put in your week's supply of groceries. Select not 
less than fifteen articles for the table in quantities sufficient 
to last seven or eight days and figure the price of each. Write 
a check for the total amount of the bill. Ask the grocer to 
pack carefully and ship by the interurban which passes near 
your house. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 93 

Letters Making Complaints 

When you have faults to find and complaints to make, 
you can do it in one of two ways; you can either berate the 
object of your wrath in rough-shod style, or you can cour- 
teously direct his attention to certain short-comings, and 
ask him to correct the error, remedy the fault, or adjust 
the complaint. The former will make an enemy and 
generally makes it harder to straighten out a tangle; 
while the latter style will usually cause men to work double 
time to please you. As a business builder, there is little 
doubt as to which of these methods you will use. 

Exercise Thirty 

Assume when you get your box of groceries off the inter- 
urban that one article was lacking, one was just half the 
amount you ordered, and another was damaged. See how 
considerate and effective a letter you can write your grocer in 
calling his attention to the matter. 

Letters Selling Goods 

The sales letter is the keystone in the whole system of 
business-building correspondence. Without it the wings of 
business would be clipped, and commercial activity would, 
indeed, be limited to a narrow field. As a means of reducing 
the high cost of living, the sales letter stands without a rival. 
You can send a thousand letters to a distance at less expense 
than a single salesman would cost you for a few days, and a 
thousand sales letters of the right kind may be many times 
more effective than one salesman. 

A business man was recently showing a letter which has 
been sent to 1520 customers. Of this number 1049 re- 
sponded with orders which totaled $5400. Figure the expense 
of having salesmen call on 1520 customers; then compare it 
with the small cost of mailing these 1520 letters and possibly 
you can realize the high degree of efficiency and economy 
that lies in a properly written sales letter. 

The successful sales letter is built on the same lines as the 
selling talk of a successful salesman. Study closely the talk 



94 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

of a prize-winning salesman and see how little there is of 
that staid, stilted, hackneyed style of speech which so large- 
ly prevailed in the business letters of the past. Notice, how 
everything he says is fresh, forceful, and gripping. Watch 
him get attention with some direct, pointed expression. See 
his description work up interest, and his reasoning create 
desire. Hear his arguments mount up to a climax, and his 
inducements bring forth action. This is the picture that you 
must copy; for the letter that lands the order is merely written 
salesmanship. Just talking on paper is not enough — it 
is talking on paper as a master salesman would talk. 

To be a successful w T riter of letters that bring in business, 
you must be a successful salesman. You must know your- 
self, you must know your goods, you must know your custom- 
ers, you must know your competitors, and you must know 
business conditions. Failure in this line comes so often to 
those that engage in it because they do not realize what a 
vast field they have entered. Indeed the master in this 
work may be truly called a business philosopher. He must 
understand manufacturing in all its processes from the raw 
material to the finished product. He must understand trans- 
portation — he must be thoroughly familiar with that great 
subject — distribution. So you see you have not only entered 
upon the study of a very important subject, but a very inter- 
esting one as well. 

Now, when you sit down to write a sales letter, the first 
thing that you should do is to put the cork in the ink bottle, 
lay your pen to one side, fold your hands, and — think. Think 
of your customer — his struggles, his ambitions, his trials, his 
desires, and his feelings — until you are filled with sympa- 
thy and concern — till you see how your goods and your 
proposition will be just the thing to put him on his feet. 
Then grab the pen — open the ink — and write as though your 
life depended upon it. 

When the letter is finished, lay it aside till you cool off — 
then criticise it with all the vigor you would use if it had been 
written by an enemy and you wanted to get even with him. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 95 

Then rewrite it. Give it a polish that will make it shine 
with all those qualities which have already been mentioned as 
necessary for a successful letter. After you have worked it up 
to the highest point of which you are capable, mail it out to 
100 or 500 prospects. Test the results carefully. If the 
letter develops 20% of orders, it is splendid; if it develops 
40%, it is wonderful; if it develops 60%, it is a whirlwind. 
However, if it lands less than 10% of your prospects, your 
letter will not do; for your margin of profit will be too small. 
(This, of course, depends wholly upon what you are selling 
and the profit on each order.) 

In your preparation for writing sales letters, you must 
study the following sources of material: the house, the cus- 
tomer, competitors, and miscellaneous. 

You must be thoroughly acquainted with your house; 
its policies and methods; its goods; its capacity; terms of 
sale; and process of manufacture. You should have a knowl- 
edge of costs; source of raw material; the number of skilled 
workman; and all the various departments and officers. This 
will enable you to write intelligently and avoid mistakes. 

You must know your customer. Be able to answer such 
questions as: What kind of business does he conduct? How 
large is it? How long has he been in business? What are 
his local conditions? What competition, has he to meet? 
Has he a good credit standing? What are his methods and 
policies? Has he any personal peculiarities? This will 
enable you to write understandingly, to get his viewpoint, 
and to make your appeals more effective. 

You should not under-estimate nor overlook your competi- 
tors. Learn the appeals they use in behalf of their goods; 
know their methods and policies, and their capacities for 
filling and handling orders. Such knowledge is sure to prove 
valuable in the management of your affairs. 

Then miscellaneous sources; such as, magazine advertis- 
ing, current events, business conditions, supply houses, 
and non-competing firms, can furnish you with much infor- 
mation that will prove of great service. 



96 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 



Classify your customers. You will have men and women: 
educated and uneducated; farmers and merchants. A 
letter that will appeal to a man will seldom appeal to a woman. 
A letter to an uneducated person is not to be constructed 
after a style that you must use for one who is educated. 
Neither is a farmer to be approached in the same manner 
as a merchant. 

The following gives a list of motives and the manner in 
which they appeal to three classes: 



ARGUMENTS 



BUSINESS MEN FARMERS 



WOMEN 



1. 

2. 

3. 
4. 


Quality Important 
Price Foremost 
Style Slight 
Exclusiveness Sometimes 


Essential 
Paramount 
Unimportant 
Ineffective 


Good 
Secondary 
Essential 
Valuable 


5. 
6. 


Service 
Sentiment 


Essential 
Useless 


Appreciate 
Poor 


Slight 
Effective 


7. 

8. 
9. 

0. 


Flattery 
Testimonials 
Reputation 
Profit 
Length of 
letter 


Doubtful 
Effective 
Reassuring 
Vital 

Short 


Useless 
Reassuring 
Valuable 
Not needed 

Long 


Expedient 
Impressive 
Desirable 
Not needed 

Long 



In the construction of your sales letter, you have four 
kinds of material to work with — ideas, statements, explana- 
tions, and arguments. v 

Let your ideas be appropriate, intelligent, alluring, and 
valuable. Be sure that your statements are facts, supported 
by proofs, testimony, and references. Make your explana- 
tions clear, specific, and complete. In the sale of machinery 
and certain other commodities, a technical explanation is 
necessary. If you are writing to a master mechanic, be sure 
to use technical terms peculiar to his line of work. Drive 
in your arguments in a logical, persuasive, conclusive, and 
convincing manner. The skill with which you handle these 
four kinds of material will determine the success or failure of 
your sales letter. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER $7 

Your constant aim while writing a sales letter should be 
— to land an order — to get an answer. Three things work to 
this end — creating desire; evading the cost; and enclosures. 

In creating desire, if possible, have the time limited in 
which the prospect can take advantage of your offer. Make 
him feel he will lose something if he delays. The same result 
can be secured when the number of articles is limited. Get 
him to understand that he will be disappointed unless he acts 
at once. Reduced prices and special terms are prime favorites 
in a sales letter. Be sure you use them for all they are worth. 
Having articles reserved, or laid aside for the prospect, is 
very appealing. It makes him feel that he is receiving 
special attention and he becomes inclined to reciprocate. 

If the prospect is given an opportunity to evade the cost, 
even for a short time, it has a great influence upon him. A 
free trial or deferred payments would tempt, when if he had 
to part with his cash, he would not think of acting. If a de- 
posit is required, a guarantee to refund becomes very effective. 

Enclosures will do much towards making it easy to answer. 
Order blanks, post cards, coin cards, money order blanks, 
and addressed envelopes should be used according to the 
needs of the case. An order blank and an addressed envelope 
aid in clinching the resolve to act. Where a small amount 
like twenty-five or fifty cents is to be sent, a coin card is 
tempting. A post card is convenient when you are working 
up interest in a proposition and want the prospect to write in 
for more information. Money order blanks are very sug- 
gestive that a customer remit. They induce him to buy a post 
office money order instead of sending a check. This some- 
times means a saving to you, as checks are subject to exchange. 

When you have secured answers from your prospects the 
next thing is to make your replies effective. Let your replies 
be prompt, clear, and complete. Answer all questions and 
give full details immediately, for nothing is so provoking to 
a prospect as to write for more information and then have to 
wait a long time to get it. Have a definite proposition to 
make and a positive guarantee of satisfaction. See that you 



98 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

have the inducement for quick action just as strong as you 
can possibly make it. 

Remember, as a final word of advice that you must feel a 
genuine desire to serve — that you must be just as anxious 
that the transaction benefit the other fellow as you are that 
it benefit yourself. Nature's laws are just, and she robs the 
greedy, selfish fellow of the power to build business by letter. 
Someway, he cannot put into them that spirit — that true 
ring — which becomes such a powerful inducement for action. 
The man who is filled with consideration for his customer can 
someway breathe into his letter a mighty power that be- 
comes irresistible. The customer just feels that he must 
act, even though he could not tell why. Keep in mind that 
words are empty things — it is ideas and feelings that count. 

Exercise Thirty=one 

Assume that you have been given a position as sales 
manager with the Ellis Publishing Co., and that you are 
going to sell this book, Letter Writing for the Business Builder, 
by mail to business colleges and high schools. 

The list price is to be $1.50, with a trade discount of 20% 
and a cash discount of 10% if paid within 10 days. The 
name of the business college or high school principal to whom 
you are to write will be selected by the teacher. 

Before starting your letter, turn back and read again the 
article entitled, " Psychological Construction." Then re- 
member that you can bag no game with a letter not loaded 
with information; also, that you cannot explain to another 
that which you do not understand yourself. Do you fully 
appreciate and understand all that this book has to offer? 
If not, it will be necessary for you to review it and to give 
it considerable study before you will be prepared to write 
this letter. 

When you have finished the necessary preparation, write 
out in rough draft all the things that you think would interest 
any one in a book on Letter Writing. Take this material 
and from it construct a letter which will be so attractive that 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER &9 

the school man will feel he cannot possibly be without so 
valuable an aid to his work. 

Keep in mind that you are writing to an educated customer 
and that quality and service will appeal to him the strongest. 
You can use testimony taken from the letters of recommenda- 
tion written by the class for exercise twenty-five. Avoid an 
anti-climax. Make your letter stronger, more attractive and 
vigorous at the close than it is at the beginning. Be sure you 
have an inducement with a clincher aimed at the prospect so 
accurately that he will have to dodge or get hit. It will take 
two or three pages of paper to set forth all the essential points. 
Exercise Thirty=one A 

You did not receive an answer to your sales letter in ex- 
ercise thirty-one. There are a number of reasons that might 
account for it. Probably, your letter did not attract favor- 
able attention, or it failed to arouse interest, or in some way 
it could not stir up desire. Maybe the inducement and clinch- 
er were weak, or possibly that old thief " procrastination" 
got in the way and spoiled things. 

Anyway, an enterprising business builder like you will not 
let such things interfere. Write your prospective customer 
again. Make your arguments stronger than ever. If you 
write to the principal of a business college appeal more 
to his financial interests. Show him that this course in 
Letter Writing is a big money making proposition for him. 
High grade courses mean enthusiastic students; enthusiastic 
students bring in more students; and more students mean 
greater profits. Have reasons a plenty why this man should 
buy. If one will not catch him, another may. 
Exercise Thirty=oneB 

Write a sales letter offering any article, product, animal, 
land, tool, or machine in which you may be interested and 
about which you have complete knowledge. It is very much 
easier to write an effective letter about something in which 
you are interested than it is to write about something that 
gives you no concern. Write to some one to whom you think 



100 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

you can actually sell. The more reality you can put into 
your work the better. 

Letters Collecting Money 

It is very easy to sell goods to some people, but it is quite 
another thing to collect the money. This fact makes the 
collection letter of the greatest importance. If your sales 
letter turns out a failure, you lose your time, labor, stationery, 
and postage; but when your collection letter "fails to make 
good" — you lose your merchandise as well. 

When your sales letter misses the mark, you can fire away 
again; but if the collection letter touches the wrong 
chord, it means trouble of a positive kind. The sales 
letter persuades a man to take something on which he believes 
he can make money; the collection letter must induce him to 
give up that which he has acquired by toil and hard work. 
The poor selling letter is tossed into the waste basket and 
forgotten, but the undiplomatic collection letter may so 
offend a man that he will never forgive nor forget. 

It is necessary for the man who writes the collection letter 
to have a most complete knowledge of the debtor's condition 
— his past record, the size and character of his business, his 
reputation, his competition, his local problems, and such 
other facts as he can secure from letters, salesmen, and com- 
mercial agencies. 

In writing a collection letter, do not lose sight of the fact 
that a debt is a plain business obligation; neither let the debtor 
look at it in any other light. Whether the letter is the first, 
or the last, it should have for its attitude: the bill is an obliga- 
tion that cannot be avoided. At the first intimation that you 
fear he is not going to pay, he will be encouraged to think 
up new excuses for deferring the payment — or of evading it 
altogether. 

Another fundamental principle of the collection letter is 
the necessity for giving it life; making it breathe a spirit of 
human interest. Don't treat the debtor as if he were a crim- 
inal trying to escape punishment. Even though you may be 
convinced that he is a rogue, telling him so, is a poor way of 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 101 

getting your money. The letter can be firm and dignified 
without being insulting. If it is a new experience to a man 
to be abused, he will be too sore to respond; and if he is a 
"professional dead beat" to whom insults are e very-day 
occurrences, your letter will not stir him to action. 

Show a man politely that you mean business, impress 
upon him that you intend to give him a square deal, and you 
expect the same from him. Show him how it is to his advant- 
age to settlo the obligation. Remember the "you" element, 
and that it is a mistake to write the collection letter from the 
stand point of "I" and "my," just the same as it is in the 
sales letter. Emphasize the "you" side of the question — 
point out to the debtor that it is to his interest to settle the 
account and keep his record clean. 

There is no more common mistake than to make an appeal 
for money on the ground that you "need it." It shakes the 
customer's confidence in you, and indicates that you are 
either operating on a very narrow margin or else you are a 
poor manager. It also gives the man an excuse for not pay- 
ing. He, too, will use the "hard-up" cry. There may be 
times when it seems desirable to shape an appeal along this 
line, but it can be done without loss of dignity or the shaking 
of confidence in the stability of your business. One firm 
writes: 

"When you consider that we are handling more than 
30,000 accounts you will appreciate that a few delinquent 
ones here and there soon amount up to many thousands of 
dollars; and as we discount all our bills promptly, we feel 
we must insist upon a prompt payment of these overdue 
accounts." 

This gives the customer a little glimpse of the firm's con- 
dition, and there is no begging tone about the letter. 

The letter writer must never lose sight of the fact that the 
debtor is a customer, whose future patronage is desired; and 
it is the policy of nearly every wholesale house to grant reason- 
able extensions when there is any legitimate reason. Ex- 
tending accommodations may be the quickest and easiest 



102 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

way of collecting a debt, and at the same time it may place 
a customer under such an obligation to the house, that he 
will, in the future, give it a larger share of his patronage. 
Future dealings can be ignored only in the case of individuals 
who are such poor pay that their trade is not desirable. 

In collecting money, you will find there are four reasons 
why customers fail to pay their bills when due, and they may 
be classified as follows: 

1. Being busy, they overlook the account. 

2. Being hard-up, they cannot pay immediately. 

3. Being naturally slow, they put everything off. 

4. Being dishonest, they avoid paying when possible. 
Strange as it may seem, the first three are the hardest to 

handle. The dishonest customer who does not pay calls for 
just one line of action; determine whether he has sufficient 
property to cover the judgment and then bring suit. After 
that refuse to sell him more goods unless he pays cash. 

But you cannot afford to deal in this harsh manner with 
your customers who are busy, or slow, or hard-up. This 
is where you need skill and diplomacy of a high order; for 
if you say the least thing that they think is a reflection, your 
future business with them is at an end. 

To meet this condition, successful firms have a follow-up 
collection series of four letters. The first one is written with 
the assumption that the customer is a very busy man and 
has overlooked the account. This pleases the vanity of most 
men, and they usually remit at once, unless they are very hard 
up or decidedly mean. 

To prevent its appearing too much like a collection letter, 
it is well to solicit more business, and make it seem as much 
as possible like a sales letter. This leads the customer to feel 
that you have confidence in him, and often causes him to re- 
mit in full and send in an order for more goods. Whenever 
this is accomplished, you may know you have a most effective 
collection letter. 

If your first letter does not bring a remittance, or a reply, 
within ten or fifteen days, you must write another; this time 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 103 

with the assumption that the customer is hard up. Tell him 
that you are without a reply to your first letter, and the only 
reason you can think of is that he might be financially em- 
barrased. If this is the case, say that you will be glad to 
accommodate him in any reasonable way. Tell him a part 
payment will be appreciated if he cannot pay in full. In this 
letter, as in the first one, it is good policy to solicit more 
business. 

If your second letter fails to bring a reply within two 
weeks, you may know you have one of those slow customers 
or a dishonest one. However, you must assume that he is a 
slow one; for slow people, while they are provoking, are 
worth keeping on your list of customers. In your first two 
letters, you must not show the least impatience. In this letter, 
though, it is proper to show a reasonable amount of impatience, 
but it must not in any sense appear to cast a reflection on your 
customer. Neither must it take on a threatening tone. 

Tell him pointedly that this is a business obligation that 
he can not afford to let drag on in this inconsiderate way. 
He owes it to his good standing to be more prompt and at- 
tentive to such matters. Say that you are anxious to give 
him a square deal, and you certainly should expect the same 
from him. You can overcome any resentment that this 
might arouse by assuring him that his business is appreciated 
and solicit further orders. 

If you have written three effective letters in the manner 
indicated and do not get a response, you may know you are 
dealing with a rogue who will beat you if possible. This 
letter should be similar to number three; and should omit 
the solicitation for further business. It should be quite 
threatening in tone; and if the customer does not remit in so 
many days, say you will place the account in the hands of 
lawyers for collection. 

Exercise Thirty=two 

Assume that you sold 100 books, in exercise thirty-one, 
the bill for which is now ten days past due and unpaid. 
Write a letter with the assumption that your customer is a 



104 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

very busy man and has overlooked the account. Tell him 
that you have some sample letters which students in other 
schools have written, and that you will be glad to send him 
some if he is interested. Express the hope that he will send 
you another order for books in the near future. 

Exercise Thirty»twoA 

Assume that you have written two letters and have re- 
ceived no reply. Write a third letter, and this time follow 
the advice given for dealing with slow peopte. 
Letters Adjusting Complaints 

In spite of the best of intentions and the most carefully 
laid plans, things will go wrong, and customers will have 
complaints to make. As a business builder, you must expect 
all these things and prepare for them. If you hope to succeed 
in business, you must be prepared to make everything right 
that is not satisfactory. One very successful firm has adopted 
as a motto for its Complaint Department: "The customer 
is always right." 

Someone has said that an excellent syrup for soothing 
the ruffled feelings of an unreasonable customer may be had 
by combining a gallon of diplomacy with a spoonful of re- 
monstrance. Before serving, however, mix well with brains 
and discretion. 

In writing letters to adjust complaints, emphasize your 
willingness to correct the error, remedy the fault, or make 
up the shortage. Show that you are sincere in your desire to 
serve; and while you are willing to take the blame, strive to 
find some good reason to explain the circumstances. In this 
way, you can often change one of these fault-finding patrons 
into one of your very best customers. 

Exercise Thirty=three 

Mrs. Hiram Johnson who ordered a set of dishes in exer- 
cise seventeen has written you a letter of complaint in which 
she says that the dishes you sent her have a red figure instead 
of the green which she ordered; also, the soup tureen was 
broken. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 105 

Write her a letter expressing your regrets that the red 
figure was unsatisfactory. Tell her that when the shipping 
clerk went to pack her order, he found the last set with a 
green figure had been sold, and as you knew a wedding an- 
niversary without new dishes would be incomplete, you 
ordered him to send a higher priced set with a red figure. 

Tell her that if she still considers the red figure unsatis- 
factory, to return them and just as soon as the dishes with the 
green figure are received in stock, you will send her a set. 
If, however, she decides to keep the dishes she now has, you 
will be glad to send her a new soup tureen. 

Be sure to tell her how sorry you are, and that you ap- 
preciate how she must have felt at having had to take a 
different thing from the one on which she had set her mind. 
Make it a very gentle, soothing message. Don't forget to 
solicit her further orders. 

Advertising Letters 

Do you like to get letters? Are you ever disappointed 
when the mail arrives and you do not get one? Yes, every 
one likes to get letters. There never was a man who has not 
experienced a sense of satisfaction at being handed an envelope 
with his own name standing out on it. What a fascination 
there is in breaking the seal, and how anxious you are to 
read the letter. 

Yet, how many advertising letters are you able to read 
from start to finish? You really want to read each letter, you 
are just eager to know what it may contain for you — but 
someway you never get many of them finished. Now, why 
don't you? 

It is the same old story that has been told several times in 
this course. The opening wasj insipid; the writer forgot 
your side of the matter, and instead thrust his own to the 
front; the style was old and worn out; there was nothing to 
hold your attention; and though you wanted to read it you 
couldn't — just actually couldn't. 

So if you feel that way about the letters you get, you may 
be sure, unless you leave the beaten track and develop a 



106 LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

little human interest, the .letters you write will be treated in 
the same way. 

Advertising letters may be written to make known the 
merits of any cause or proposition whether business or social. 
While the advertising letter is largely the same as a promo- 
tion, or a sales letter, it has a much broader application. A 
pure type of advertising letter is found on page 21 in this 
book. Turn back and study it. Do you think if you had 
received this letter you would have found any trouble in 
reading it? 

Advertising letters must be strong in attracting at- 
tention and working up interest. Ordinarily, they are not 
written with the thought of closing a sale directly, but to get 
the prospect to patronize some one else. Manufacturers and 
wholesalers use the advertising letter very extensively to get 
the public to buy of their agents or representatives. 
Exercise Thirty=four 

You have decided to teach Letter Writing by mail. Select 
some one you know who would profit by such a course, and 
write him an advertising letter. 

Suggestions and material for this letter can be found on 
pages 1 and 2 under the headings "Introduction" and "Scope 
of the Letter." Reconstruct this material, and put it into a 
letter for the purpose of arousing interest in the subject. 

Add a postscript that your representative will call on or 
about a certain date, and ask your prospect to consider the 
proposition of picking up dollars where he is now picking up 
dimes. 

Educational Letters 

As a medium for educational work, letters take rank 
with newspapers and magazines. When a manufacturer 
attempts to place some new product on the market, he must 
enter upon a campaign of education. To accomplish this 
work, he has at his command four avenues by which to ap- 
proach the public: Newspapers, magazines, bill boards, and 
letters. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 107 

In the first stages, the foundation work is best advanced 
by newspapers, magazines, and bill boards; but the finishing 
work can only be accomplished through an up-to-date series 
of educational letters. These letters if properly prepared, 
have a personal touch and a pulling power that can be se- 
cured through no other medium. 

The manager of the sales force finds the letter a mighty 
power in educating and training his men. Often salesmen 
would get very discouraged, contending with the hardships 
of the road, were it not for the "ginger" and enthusiasm that 
flows forth from the letters of their chief. A cheering letter to 
a traveler, hundreds of miles from friends, home, and family, 
is one of the greatest stimulants known to man. 

Ten minutes before the mail arrives, a salesman may have 
been "down in the dumps, blue as indigo" — yet five minutes 
after reading an inspiring, appreciative message from the 
head of the house, he is a new man — ready to face the world — 
to do, to dare, and to win. No longer the heart strings strain 
with lonesomeness; but instead the brightly burning fire of 
confidence gives cheer and courage. 

The vast array of correspondence schools in our country 
today bears strong testimony to the value and use of letters 
in educational work. The post office department is, indeed, 
playing a most important part in the advancement of educa- 
tion. No one need go without a higher education if he really 
wants one, even though he cannot leave his home. Many of 
our leading universities are now engaged in extension work; 
so with an eager mind at one end and the university at the 
other, the educational letter is becoming the greatest in- 
structor of the age. 

The most influential educational letters ever written in 
the history of the world are from the pen of the Apostle Paul. 
Their careful study will do much to strengthen you in the 
power of Letter Writing. 

Exercise Thirty=five 

Your traveling representative succeeded in enrolling in 
your correspondence course the prospect you wrote to in 



xOS LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 

exercise thirty-four. Assume that you have written the 
preliminary letters. This one is to consist of the material 
you boil down from the article on pages 19—24, entitled, 
Requirements of a Letter. Impress upon your student with 
all the force at your command the importance of the nine 
points set forth in this discussion. 

Exercise thirty=five A 

The next letter to your student should be a summary of 
the six points given under the title, Qualities of a Good Letter. 
See how vigorously you can emphasize these essentials of 
every effective letter. 

Exercise Thirty=five B 

For this exercise condense the article, Composition of a 
Letter. 

Exercise Thirty=five C 

Take for the theme of this letter the subject matter in 
the discourse on Psychological Construction. 
Exercise Thirty=five D 

This installment is to consist of advice and instruction 
regarding a letter selling goods. Before undertaking to 
write this communication, study carefully what is said about 
the sales letter. 

Exercise Thirty =five E 

For this final exercise, write a "ginger-up" letter to your 
traveling representative. Make it just as appreciative and 
inspiring as you possibly can. Tell him that you have de- 
cided to start a selling contest among your salesmen. The 
prize for the one making the largest per cent of increase in 
business during the next three months will be a two weeks' 
vacation trip around the Great Lakes to Niagara Falls 
with all expenses paid. 

Assure him that you appreciate the splendid fight he has 
been making for business. When things begin to drag, tell 
him just to remember how fine it will be to spend two hot 
sultry weeks in August cruising out in the Great Lakes where 
the cool breezes blow. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 109 

Also, picture to him the great work in which he is engaged. 
The good he is doing can never be measured. Even when 
he fails to secure an enrollment, he does not labor in vain; 
for no man can listen to his talk and not be benefited. The 
inspiration he leaves for the improvement of one's opportuni- 
ties will bear fruit in some form. So bid him labor on with 
a strong heart and an abiding faith; for reward is sure to come. 



Part III 

Letter Writing for the Business 

Builder 



Outline 

To aid in reviewing this course; the following outline is 
presented : 
LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 



1. 



2. 



Introduction 


4. Divisions of a Letter 


1. Purpose 


1. Heading 


2. Definitions 


1. No. and St. 


The Scope of the Letter 


2. Place 


1. Extends Friendship 


3. Date 


2. Sells Goods 


2. Address 


3. Handles Men 


1. Name 


4. Collects Money 


2. Location 


5. Adjusts Complaints 


3. Salutation 


6. Secures Positions 


4. Body 


7. Develops Prestige 


5. Complimentary Close 


8. Builds Business 


6. Signature 


Material for Letter Writing 


7. Title 


1. Stationery 


8. Postscript 


1. Paper 


9. Superscription 


2. Envelopes 


5. Learning to Write 


3. Pens 


1. Penmanship Stage 


4. Ink 


2. Spelling Stage 


5. Postage Stamps 


3. Grammar Stage 


2. Office Equipment 


4. Rhetoric Stage 


1. Typewriter 


5. Logic Stage 


2. Carbon Paper 


6. Requirements of a Letter 


3. Letter Press 


1. Effective English 


4. Duplicating Machine 


2. Correct Spelling 


5. Addressing Machine 


3. Legible Penmanship 


6. Filing Cabinet 


4. Punctuation 



(111) 



112 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILt)ER 



5. Capitalization 

6. Arrangement 

7. Folding 

8. Display 

9. Letterhead 

7. Qualities of a Letter 

1. Brevity 

2. Clearness 

3. Unity 

4. Exactness 

5. Personality 

6. Courtesy 

8. Composition of a Letter 

1. Words 

1. Exact 

2. Short 

3. Specific 

4. Anglo-Saxon 

2. Phrases 

1. Vivid 

2. Terse 

3. Striking 

4. Natural 

3. Sentences 

1. Clear 

2. Concise 

3. Forceful 

4. Comprehensive 

4. Paragraphs 

1. Short 

2. Uniform 

3. Logical 

4. Orderly 

9. Psychological Construction 

1. Attract Attention 

2. Arouse Interest 

3. Create Desire 

4. Induce Action 

10. Exercises 

1. Drills 

2. Questions 

11. Kinds of Letters 

1. Friendship 

2. Social 



3. Introduction 

4. Congratulation 

5. Condolence 

6. Postal Cards 

7. Telegrams 

8. Cablegrams 

9. Inquiry 

10. Notification 

11. Remittance 

12. Acknowledgment 

13. Announcement 

14. Enclosure 

15. Legal 

16. Official 

17. Public 

18. Promotion 

19. Asking Favors 

20. Recommendation 

21. Application 

22. Circular 

23. Follow-up 

24. Ordering Goods 

25. Making Complaints 

26. Selling Goods 

27. Collecting Money 

28. Adjusting Complaints 

29. Advertising 

30. Educational 

12. Letter of Application 

1. Necessary Information 

1. Age 

2. Gender 

3. Single or Married 

4. Nationality 

5. Education 

6. Experience 

7. Habits 

8. Disposition 

9. Characteristics 

10. Physical Description 

11. Salary 

12. References 

13. The Sales Letter 
1. Material 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 



113 



1. Ideas 

1. Appropriate 

2. Intelligent 

3. Alluring 

4. Valuable 

2. Statements 

1. Facts 

2. Proofs 

3. References 

4. Testimony 

3. Explanations 

1. Clear 

2. Specific 

3. Technical 

4. Complete 

4. Arguments 

1. Logical 

2. Conclusive 

3. Persuasive 

4. Convincing 

2. Sources of Material 

1. The House 

2. The Customer 

3. Competitors 

4. Miscellaneous 

3. The Appeal 

1. Elements 

1. Quality 

2. Price 

3. Style 

4. Exclusiveness 

5. Service 

6. Sentiment 

7. Flattery 

8. Testimonials 

9. Reputation 
10. Profit 

2. To Whom Made 

1. Men 

2. Women 

3. Educated 

4. Uneducated 

5. Farmers 

6. Merchants 



4. Answering Made Easy By 

1. Creating Desire 

1. Time Limited 

2. Articles Limited 

3. Reduced Price 

4. Special Terms 

5. Articles Reserved 

6. Quality Guaranteed 

7. No Risk Incurred 

2. Evading the Cost 

1. Free Trial 

2. Return Privilege 

3. Deferred Payments 

4. Deposit Refunded 

3. Enclosures 

1. Order Blanks 

2. Post Cards 

3. Coin Cards 

4. Money Order Blanks 

5. Addressed Envelopes 

5. Replies made effective by 

1. Promptness 

2. Clearness 

3. Completeness 

1. Answer all Questions 

2. Give Full Details 

4. Definite Proposition 

5. Guarantee of Satisfac- 

tion 

6. Inducement for Quick 
Action 

14. Filing Letters 
1. Methods 

1. Alphabetical 

2. Geographical 

3. Numerical 

4. Topical 



APPENDIX 

Proof =Reading 

In these days of general intelligence, most people, especially 
those engaged in mercantile or professional pursuits, have 
more or less occasion to write for publication. A knowledge 
of the usages governing such writing is therefore important. 
Anything intended for publication should be written plainly 
with pen and ink, or, better still, typewritten. Use but one side 
of the paper, and give special care to spelling, puncutation, 
and paragraphing, as well as to grammatical accuracy, and 
style of expression. The manuscript pages should be num- 
bered. 

In writing for the press, clearness and conciseness are of 
prime importance. Space in a newspaper is a valuable com- 
modity; typesetting costs money; and these, as well as other 
considerations, put upon the writer the duty of making his 
communications brief and to the point. When copy is "set 
up" by the printer, impressions of the printed matter called 
"proof-sheets" are taken by hand. These usually contain 
various mechanical errors that have been made by the type- 
setter, and are corrected in the office. A "revised proof" is 
then often sent to the author for any further corrections that 
he may wish to make. Reading these proof-sheets for the 
purpose of noting and marking errors is called "proof-reading," 
and the errors are indicated in the margin of the sheets by 
means of certain conventional marks and signs. The fol- 
lowing list contains the more important of these, with an 
explanation of their use: — 



114 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 



115 



X Change bad letter. 
2. Push down space. 
9 Turn over. 
£ Takeout (dele). 
A Left out ; insert. 
t^" Insert space. 
y Even spacing 
%u Less space. 



PROOF-READER'S MARKS 
O Period. 
/ Comma. 
O Colon. 



Semicolon. 



/ 

V" Apostrophe. 
Hy Quotation. 
y Hyphen. 



C Move over. 
Q Em quad space. 
/— •/ One-em dash. 
jL£- /Two-em dash 

"I Paragraph. 
NoTf No paragraph. 



Let it stand. 

stet. Let it stand. 

tr. Transpose. 

Caps Capital letter*. 

*. c. Small caps. 

I. c. Lower case or 
small letters. 

Ital. Italics. 

Bom. Roman. 



w Close up entirely. // Straighten lines. #/• Wrong font. 

The following facsimile copy of a marked and corrected proof will 
shoar how the above marks are used in practise. 



MARKED PROOF. 



V f£a Inland ] 



<K* 



Primer prints an 4.C.- 
~ amusing letter from Mr. T. B. 

Aldrich to Prof. E. S. Morse, ex- — . 

president of t^fe American Academy W 

for the Advancement of Science. 
if Prof*Morse?it*should be\, stated, Lob*. $ 
/ has a handwriting quite indescrib- 
V^ able. VMy dear Morse: It «*** very 4X+C, 

plea sant for me to get a letter from 
Z»< you<gthe'r\the)day. PerhapsJ should ^£ 
^•/ave found it pleasanter » I had 

been able to decipher itf"l don't 
M thinljgl mastered anyting beyond 

the date (which I knew), and the 
JC sipfiature (which I guessed at). 

There's a singular and perpetual 

charm in a letter of yours/ it never 

grows eld; it never losesits novelty. 

f*One can say to oneyself every 



4L 



4 



morning ^There's that letter of lis 

o 

iat it to- ;2£. 
* day and maybe I shall be able, in 



a*£ plorse's ; I haven't read it yet./-I 
-" think ril^hyjanother ^a k^t 
a day and maybe I shall be t 
^**4Lco\xrse of a few ye/Crs, tcr make £*s 
^, ^>ut \£^at he means by those VsHhat - 
/^jbok like w's , and th ose is that V^ 

ft<7»*i . /"haven't any (fjfbrows /j ) Other let -J 

•fers are.read^and forgotten, buv / 



**S ours are 
One of the 




kefri 
m/wi 



Q)T man a lifj 

tdrich 



t forever — unread. 

will last a reasonable 

me) Admiringly yours, 



<ZL+- r -a^>-+ 



CORRECTED PROOF. 



*THE Inland Printer prints an 
amusing letter from Mr. T. B. 
Aldrich to Prof. E. S. Morse, ex- 
president of the American Academy 
for the Advancement of Science. 
Prof. Morse, it should be stated, 
has a handwriting quite indescrib- 
able. "My dear Morse: It was very 
pleasant for me to get a letter from 
you the other day. Perhaps I should 
have found it pleasanter if I had 
been able to decipher it. I don't 
think I mastered anything beyond 
the date (which I knew), and the 
signature (which I guessed at). 
There's a singular and perpetual 
charm in a letter of yours; it never 
grows old; it never loses its novelty. 
One can say to one's self every 
morning : * There's that letter of 
Morse's ; I haven't read it yet. I 
think I'll take another shy at it to- 
day and maybe I shall be able, in 
the course of a few years, to make 
out what he means by those t's that 
look like w's, and those i's that 
haven't any eyebrows I ' Other let- 
ters are read and thrown away and 
forgotten, but yours are kept for- 
ever — unread. One of them will 
last a reasonable man a lifetime. 
Admiringly yours, T. B. Aldrich." 



116 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 



COMMERCIAL CHARACTERS 



At @ 

Account % 

Percentum or by the hundred % 

Care of c / 

Cents f 

Dollars $ 

Pounds Sterling £ 

Number # 

ABBREVIATIONS OF TITLES 



Pounds lb or. lbs. 

Check mark -j/ 

Old account O % 

New account N. % 

Three and one-fourth 3 1 

Eight and two-fourths . ...... 8 2 

Five and three-fourths 5 3 



Administrator Admr. 

Admiral Adm. 

Corresponding Secretary, Cor. Sec. 

Cashier Cash. 

Colonel Col. 

Captain .Capt. 

Doctor of Divinity D. D. 

Doctor of Medicine M. D. 

Doctor of Philosophy Ph. D. 

Doctor of Civil Law D. C. L. 

Doctor of Laws LL. D. 

Esquire Esq. 

General Gen. 

Gentlemen Messrs. 

Governor Gov. 

Honorable Hon. 



Librarian Lib. 

Lieutenant Lieut. 

Member of Congress M. C. 

Member of Parliament M. P. 

Mistress Mrs. 

Mister Mr. 

Professor Prof. 

Principal Prin. 

President Pres. 

Reverend Rev. 

Right Honorable Rt. Hon. 

Recording Secretary. . .Rec. Sec. 

Secretary Sec. 

Superintendent Supt. 

Treasurer Treas. 

Vice President V. Pres't . 



ABBREVIATIONS OF THE STATES AND TERRITORIES 
as recommended by the Post Office Department 



Alabama Ala. 

Alaska Alaska 

Arizona Ariz. 

Arkansas Ark. 

California Calif. 

Colorado Colo. 

Connecticut Conn. 

Delaware Del. 

District of Columbia D. C. 

Florida Fla. 

Georgia Ga. 

Idaho Idaho 

Illinois 111. 

Indiana Ind. 

Iowa Iowa. 



Kansas Kans. 

Kentucky Ky. 

Louisiana La. 

Maine Me. 

Maryland Md. 

Massachusetts Mass. 

Michigan Mich. 

Minnesota Minn. 

Mississippi Miss. 

Missouri Mo. 

Montana Mont. 

Nebraska Nebr. 

Nevada Nev. 

New Hampshire N. H. 

New Jersey N. J. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 



117 



New Mexico X. Mex. 

New York N. Y. 

North Carolina N. C. 

North Dakota N. Dak. 

Ohio Ohio 

Oklahoma Okla. 

Oregon Ore. 

Pennsylvania Pa. 

Philippine Islands P.I. 

Porto Rico P. R. 

Rhode Island R. I. 

Samoa Samoa. 

ABBREVIATIONS 

January Jan. 

February Feb. 

March Mch. 

April Apr. 

May May. 

June June or Jun. 



South Carolina S. C. 

South Dakota S. Dak. 

Tennessee Tenn. 

Texas Tex. 

Utah Utah. 

Vermont Vt. 

Virginia Va. 

Washington Wash. 

Wisconsin .Wis. 

West Virginia W. Va. 

Wyoming Wyo. 

FOR THE MONTHS 

July July or Jul. 

August Aug. 

September Sept. 

October Oct. 

November Nov. 

December Dec. 



COMMERCIAL ABBREVIATIONS 



Afternoon P.M. 

Adventure adv . 

Advertisement ad. 

Account acct. 

Account Sales Acct. Sales. 

Account Current, Acct. Cur. 

Agent Agt. 

Amount amt. 

Article Art. 

Assistant Asst. 

Average av. 

Assorted asst. or as'd. 

Agreement agm't . 

Appendix App. 

Attorney Atty. 

All Correct O. K. 

And so forth etc. or &c. 

By Per. 

Balance Bal. 

Bill Rendered B. Rend 

Bill of Sale B/S . 

Buyers option to purchase 

within 30 days B. 30 

Bill Book B. B. 



Between calls B. C. 

Barrel Brl. or bbl. 

Bill of Lading B/L. 

Bills Payable B Pay. 

Bills Receivable B. Rec. 

Bank Bk. 

Bank Book Bk. B. 

Black Blk. 

Bag Bg. 

Bundle Bdl. 

Bale Bl. 

Basket Bkt. 

Bought Bot. 

Brought Brot. 

By the hundred per cent. 

Buyers Option B. O. or b. o. 

Bushel Bu. 

Box Bx. 

Boards (B'kbinding) Bds. 

By way of via. 

Building Bldg. 

Capital Cap. 

Cases cs. 



118 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 



Com. 



Commission 

Commercial , 

Consignment ... Con. or Cons't. 

Creditor or crate Cr. 

Cents cts. or c 

Cartage ctg. 

Charges Chgs. 

Collect on Delivery C. 0. D 

Copper cop. 

Department Dep't 

Day Book D. B. 

Deposit dep. 

Draft dft. or dr. 

Dividend Div. 

Discount Dis. 

Dozen doz. 

Debtor Dr. 

Drayage dray. 

Days ds. 

Day da. 

Dram dr. 

Each ea. 

Errors excepted E. E. 

Errors and ommissions excepted 

E. &0. E. 

Endorse End. 

English Eng. 

Entry Ent. 

Entered Ent'd. 

Exchange Exch. 

Expense or Expenses Exp. 

Express ; Example Ex. 



ABBREVIATIONS 

Feet or Foot ft- 

Gallon gal- 
Grain gr- 

Guarantee guar- 

Gill gi. 

Gross gro. 

Great gross g. gro. 

Half hf. 

Hogshead hhd. 

Handkerchief hdkf . 

Hundred hund. or C. 

Hundredweight cwt- 

Invoice Book I. B. 

Inward Invoice Book. . I. I. B. 

That is i.e. 

Inches in. 

Invoice inv. 

Inventory Inv'y. 

Insurance Ins. 

Insolvency Insol. 

Interest Int. 

I owe you I. O. U. 

Imported imp. 

Instant (the present month) inst. 

Junior Jr. 

Journal Folio J. F. 

Journal J. 

Letter Book L.B. 

Ledger L. 

Ledger Folio L. F. 

Long ton l.t. 

Limited Ltd. 



For example e.g. Last month ult. 



Figure Fig. 

Forenoon A. M. 

Favor Fa v. 

Foolscap F cp. 

Figured Fig'd. 

Firkin fir. 

Free on Board f.o.b. 

Folio Fol. 

Forward Fwd. 

French or Francs Fr. 

Freight frt. 



Manufactured mf'd. 

Memorandum Mem. 

Mortgage Mtg. 

Month Mo. 

Months Mos. 

Manufacturing mfg. 

Manufacturer man'f. 

Merchandise Mdse. 

Manuscript MS. 

Manuscripts MSS . 

Minute , . . min. 



LETTER WRITING FOR THE BUSINESS BUILDER 



119 



mols. or mis. 

Mail Order Department, M. 0. D. 

Note Book N. B. 

New Ledger N. L. 

Number No. or # 

Numbers Nos. 

Notary Public N. P. 

Next Month prox. 

Namely viz. 

Old Account . . . . O. A. 

Outward Invoice Book . .0. I. B. 

Ounce or ounces oz. 

Present month inst. 

Page p. 

Pages pp. 

Pass Book P. B. 

Pay on delivery P. O. D. 

Petty Cash Book P. C. B. 

Payment Payt. 

Piece Pc. 

Pieces Pes. 

Paid Pd. 

Package Pkg. 

Preferred Pref. 

Pair pr. 

Postscript P. S. 

Pint pt. 

Puncheon Pun. 

Profit and Loss P. & L. 

Postoffice P. O. 

Peck pk. 

Pound lb. or # 

Pence d. 

Proximo prox. 

Quart qt. 

Quarter qr. 

Railway Ry. 

Regular Way or Rail Way, R. W. 

Rail Road R. R. 

Railroad bonds R. Bds. 

Receiver Rec'r 

Received Payment Rec'd Pmt. 

Rolls Rs. or rls. 



Received Rec'd 

Returned Ret'd 

Registered Reg. 

Sales Book S. B. 

Shillings s 

Schooner Schr. 

Ship or Shares Sh. 

Shipment Shipt. 

Signature sig. 

Sack sk. 

Sight Draft st. dr 

Superintendent Supt. 

Steamboat stbt. 

Steamer str. 

Sundries sunds. 

Seller's option . . S. O. or s. o. 

Storage stor. 

Superfine super, or S. P. 

Senior Sr. 

Street ; Saint St. 

Square feet sq. ft. 

Square yards sq. yds. 

Time Book T.B. 

Trial Balance T. B. 

Telegraph Tel. 

Treasurer Treas. 

Tierces tc. 

The same do. 

Thousand M. 

Transpose Tr. 

The Year of Our Lord A.D. 

United States U. S. 

United States Mail. .U. S. M. 

Vessel ves. 

Volume vol. 

Versus (against) vs. 

Without dividend or flat,Ex.Divi. 

Way Bill W/B 

Without notice W. N. 

Weight wt - 

Yards y ds 

Year y- 







BUS 




